Getting emotional with ‘Vales - Clarity Ep’

So there were a couple of options on what to review this week. Initially, my plan was to have a go at listening to an album by the Horror Punk band, Aiden. But one night, I was trying to remember a specific band that I was interested in giving a go. It turned out to be Rites Of Spring, and in preparation for this review, I spent a day listening to their first and only studio release. The only problem was, I didn’t actually enjoy it very much… I know, complete sacrilege on my part.

I wanted to be subjective about it, and point out certain areas of it that I enjoyed. But there was nothing I could really latch onto. I think I had an idea in my head that Rites Of Spring would be heavier and a little darker, but actually, despite the throat tearing vocals, most of the components were quite jaunty and upbeat. And I do like upbeat, happy music, but I think in this case it just wasn’t really keeping me invested. I did give their album a fair go, but throughout the process, I kept thinking about a band I’d rather be listening to instead. One that’s sort of similar to them, if just a bit more personally interesting to me. So that’s what I’m going to talk about instead.

Today I’m going to be reviewing a Melodic Hardcore band called Vales, and my favourite Ep by them, ‘Clarity’. Now I have spoken briefly about this group before, but I think they deserve a bit more exposure. So let’s get into that.

Vales is a four-piece band from Cornwall which, to all you readers from the US, is basically a small county in the south-west of England. Anyway, Vales came about during the UK Hardcore Swell of the 2010’s, in which many bands of the Hardcore scene were beginning to gain some notoriety. What set Vales apart from other groups that were coming about was its prominent female lead vocalist, and fragmented yet melodic downbeat. Granted, downbeat is something that is quite prevalent within a lot of Melodic Hardcore groups, but with their own added stylings of Punk, Screamo, and Emo, as well as having worthwhile influence from Avant-Garde group, The Dillinger Escape Plan, you can probably guess that you’re going to get something that’s a bit more than just the sum of its parts. Due to an inability to tour too regularly and being at home in more of a Substream community, information on them is limited, but not impossible to find. If you check Google you’ll be able to find their website and a couple of articles. If you check YouTube you’ll find a few of their albums and some interviews. Moving on.

So the band have so far only released one full-length studio album, Via 6131 Records, and I have no doubt that it’s probably helped to get them noticed. But today I want to focus on one of their Eps. ‘Clarity’ is an album I came across back in 2015, and honestly, it was one of the most incredible things I ever heard. The album only goes on for about 15 minutes and there are only five tracks on it, but oh god, are they something! Every song is turbulent and tumultuous in their own approaches, chopping and changing their chord structures and tempos within for a sound that’s eclectic, three-dimensional, and chaotic. But despite the music’s erratic behaviour, there are always strong ties and grounding to very melody-driven components. When these elements are put together with the straight-forward, tortured screamed vocals that hold absolutely nothing back, you get something that’s fragmented and disjointed, but stitched together seamlessly and healed with the clearest waters.

The first track, ‘Standing Alone (Isolation)’ gets us started with gentle, dulcet twangs and thuds, before swelling into a steady but noisy verse. It crashes and rages throughout while keeping itself straightforward with its direction and pacing, occasionally spliced with fiddly, leaning riffs and lines. While the crash and landing of the snare on the drums is the most resolute noise to be heard, there’s a distance of clarity for the vocals that, to me, speak of introspective ideals of our own place in society, our own giving and take away from being within company and being alone, and how difficult it can be to find a balance between the person we think we are, the person other people see us as, and the different angles of perspective. ‘Standing Alone (Isolations) is perhaps not the most exciting song, but it is poignant and atmospheric in it’s heavy plummets and it’s more sombre instrumentals.

Next up is the song, ‘Caves (Anxiety) which was the very first song I heard by the band before giving the full Ep a go. ‘Caves (Anxiety) starts off with a dropkick before swinging into the first two verses with a fast and loose beat that will really get you moving. These simplistic but energised first verses are really indicative of a fast-moving, anxious, irreversible situation and the desire to avoid the oncoming madness that may pummel you into dread if you don’t handle it as expected. Eventually, we begin to slow down a little, colliding with a bridge that moves like a rough sea and washes away any hope, before finally tiptoeing quietly into the final, maelstrom. I’ve always found this song to be rather sad and depressive, but through its words there’s also a sense of realism and maturity. Sometimes by exposing ourselves to anxious situations or doing difficult things, we grow a little wiser and stronger, even if the results weren’t what we hoped for.

After a nice little instrumental interlude of the last verse of ‘Caves (Anxiety) we kick into gear with ‘Stallions (Adrenaline)’ that starts with a nice intro theme before pounding off on one. This song tends to carry a bit of a different tone to it than other songs do, one that’s still a little sad and emotional, but that’s also more proactive, grounded, and present. Your feet will really hit the floor with this one, especially with its jumps and starts from 4/4 to 3/3 chord structures. But the mixing of different tempos and structures won’t compromise the emotive pangs of the travelling, climbing melodies. As the title might suggest, ‘Stallions (Adrenaline) seems to be a rather reactionary song about how we feel and how we work with ourselves during a split-second occurrence. It’s very prevalent of the difference between both fight and flight reflexes, and how whichever we go with can lead to changes that are daunting and confusing.

‘Stronghold (Destruction) charges in next with a very drum-heavy beat that peddles and stomps respectively at different stages. We slide into another 3/3 structure again but aligned at certain points with frantic picks, streams, and tempo changes. It’s a very argumentative and disgruntled song that can’t always make its mind up on where it stands or what it thinks, but I think that’s kind of the point of it, and if it were any different or straightforward it wouldn’t be the furious song it is meant to be. Despite this the placement and verse of the vocals are actually rather reasonable and grounded, fitting into every nook and cranny rather well. The lyrics themselves seem to reflect a present or aftermath of an argument or a discussion when someone unknowingly said something a little upsetting. It revels in the sensitivity and lack of upfront action on the pain of what might’ve been said, but also questions and accepts the traces of honesty spoken, even if they were uncomfortable truths.

And finally, we finish off this 15 minute Ep with the song ‘Surrender (Clarity)’. It starts off as a slow, ambient instrumental experience before thinking ‘Fuck that!’ and beginning its true tirade that rips the skin off the other four tracks. It’s low, rolling, and doom-like, yet also rather upbeat depending on how you hear it. Its outro is repetitious in its response to everything, going over the same phrase again to cement its realisation and conclusion from this entire experience. But to make sure that it really sticks, its grounded into your head and your senses with its heaviness and pure-hearted lack of compromise. Despite being the shortest song, it’s words actually end off the album rather well, and really reflect a true definition of ‘Clarity’. It comes to the realisation that the war on the surface is over, but the war underneath will always be going, and some people will be able to sense that within you. But the war and the understandings of it during the supposed aftermath is worth remembering if in the long run, it means finding a genuine calm and peace.

At least, that’s what I make of it. The language used by a lot of Melodic Hardcore bands is very introspective, very emotional, and very poetic, so they could be saying anything. Even so, there really is a relatable sense to these songs that shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether it is within the open-hearted lyrics or the changes in tempo and heaviness, or just the straight melodies, there’s something beautiful and sobering to be found in these songs. Even then, if you don’t find the beauty, at the very least you’ll be sure to find the strong beat and energy to have fun with. And because of that, I think ‘Clarity’ is probably the best album Vales has ever made, at least so far.

As far as marking goes, I think I’ll give Vales an 8/10 and the Ep, ‘Clarity’ a 10/10. I’m perhaps being rather generous here, but I do genuinely think there’s something special about this band. I would also like to award them a free hug because, by heck, these guys could probably use one.

I hope you enjoyed this review. I think next week I will continue with this idea of listening to an album and then deciding to review something else that’s a bit more to my tastes. It’s something different and it gives me a good challenge. Until then, however, I’ll see you next week.