Earlier this year, Melbourne's Catholic Guilt released their new EP This Is What Honesty Sounds Like (on Wiretap Records), a casually genre-defying fusion of punk, emo, indie rock, folk, and more that takes on personal issues like loss and social anxiety, as well as societal issues like gentrification. "Our vision for This Is What Honesty Sounds Like was to express these five very different human experiences of isolation, frustration, love, anger and loss, in a way that showcased the musical growth of our band, without losing any of the emotional intensity," frontman Brenton Harris said. "At their core these five songs are about truth and honesty. They display who we are now as people and as musicians, while giving some clues as to who we want to be in the future."
It's a very good EP that lives up to its title, and each song is really its own beast. You have to hear the whole thing to get the full picture, and if you haven't already, I highly recommend checking it out. You can stream it below.
We're also premiering the video for "Life In Three Part Harmony," which is a soaring alt-rock power ballad that Brenton calls "a love song to the awesome connective power of live music." "There's something magical that happens when a music lover is watching their favourite act perform live," he continues. "They become immersed in music. It takes over their mind, body and soul, and for those precious few minutes or hours, they are connected on a near-spiritual wavelength with the artist. This is a song for anyone who understands that moment when an artist hits the high note and it penetrates your soul, and you look around and notice another human experiencing that special rush too. That moment has completely changed each of our lives numerous times. On a personal note, this song is a celebration of my happiest place: the front row of a sold-out show, with my partner by my side, singing the words at the top of our lungs like our very existence depends on it."
The animated video (made by Jed Newton) recreates the concert-going experience for these concert-less times, and it continues that same theme of connecting romantically with another person over a shared love of live music.
"Due to the pandemic, we've been without live music in Melbourne since March and to say we miss it a lot is an understatement," Brenton said. "As a band, playing live is obviously crucial to our existence, but it's not just the playing that we miss, it's all the little connections that come with it. Whether playing or attending a gig is so much more than just a gig. It's an opportunity to truly connect with other human beings and share a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A chance to catch up with friends or to meet new ones, an excuse to have a few drinks and sing yourself hoarse or mosh away the stress of daily life. It can be an avenue for escape or a safe space where you can be your truest self."
"The vision for this video was to recreate the experience of a show in a way that would highlight all of those little connections that are currently missing from our lives without live music. If the FOMO we've felt watching it is anything to judge it by, then the animator Jed has absolutely nailed it. We hope you enjoy it."
I'd second that Jed really does nail it; see for yourself below.
