Punk Rock is Never Going to Be the Same after Fiddlehead's 'Between The Richness'

To those thinking that post-hardcore and emo-rock perished with its last stalwarts... think again! Fiddlehead has regained its composure as the genre's forefront. Their second album 'Between The Richness' is nothing less than a gift to patrons of punk and rock music. 

Their first album in 2018, 'Springtime and Blind', gave us memorable tracks like 'Lay Low' and 'Tidal Waves'. Patrick Flynn (vocals), Casey Nealon (bass), Alex Henery (guitar)Alex Dow (guitar) and Shawn Costa (drums) have gotten their hands dirty when it comes to bringing back the old school noise rock which is bound to keep their audience on their toes. 

They begin with 'Grief Motif' which begins with an excerpt from E.E Cummings poem called 'I Carry Your Heart With Me': "I carry your heart, with me//I carry it in mind//I'm never without it//Anywhere I go, you go". The instrumentals crash in with their distorted riffs and interlude punk drumming. It delves into an encore mostly where irrespective of what the protagonist is doing, he is screaming out: "I fall apart!". 

Their maiden track seems to be 'Million Times' where they seem to have gone all-in with their lyrical virtue and instrumental grandeur. An energetic punk rhythm accompanied by a post-breakup scenario is just the cherry on the icing punk fans feasts on. "Come home and fail with me to see that we are wrong//To try and try for love we've had since we were young". These powerful lyrics are bound to remind you of a time when you were love lost and willing to make endless amends just to get back together. 

'Down University' is an incredibly relevant track given the current pandemic scenario. An estimated 3.7 million students will be graduating in the academic year 2020-21. This hardcore song is a reminder to anyone who graduated, that our fancy degrees will not even see the end of the day. Since there should be no shame in feeling upset about it, similarly there is no need to feel that it is the most important thing, which the majority of students are forced to believe. Here, Alex Dow pens down and affirms that "Graduate?//No one cares//It's just a name//You are more than a degree!"

The last song to this phenomenal album is called 'Heart to Heart'. The adrenaline rush and energy attached to this song is what punk music has all been about. The song cries out loud that no matter what happens, love will always find a way, romantically or genuinely. "When moon cracks in two and sun freezes to blue//And winter burns up dry with fire clouds for a sky and night's without its stars//Know you'll still have, still have my heart" 

The album ends on the same note it started with. Another excerpt of the poem concludes the album. With the Fiddlehead entering specific niches like New Rock, New Noise, and Alternative Noise, are they already on a path to become timeless legends? 

Rebanto Roy

(RebantoR-twitter; @goodassroy-Instagram)

Image: Mitch Wojcik