When the lines between real life and nightmare blur, and reality isn’t all too different from the products of your subconscious mind, “waking up” doesn’t feel like an option. No matter how much you want to, no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape a prison that’s mental, indefinitely bound by invisible chains, bars, and walls.
If you’re at all familiar with modern-day emo circles, or more specifically the post-hardcore/Midwest emo scene, chances are you know who Movements are. For the Orange County band, these chains, bars, and walls are made of fear — fear of failure, of loss, of the past, and of the future. Sleeker and cleaner, but just as reflective as their earlier works, the four-piece’s May 25th single, “Fail You,” finds them reaching into the depths of their souls and revealing their barest selves through evocative songwriting and cathartic angst. Maturing and modernizing, not just personally, but also artistically, Movements’ latest shows just why they remain such long-standing staples of their genre.
Similar to the lyrics, “Fail You” starts “simply, nice and slow / But the current grows so quickly.” Suspenseful and moody, the track opens with percussive guitar riffs and frontman Patrick Miranda’s soft but commanding vocal croons. It’s not long before the song goes from bleak and brooding to intense and cinematic, as subdued instruments and vocals burst into a fever pitch characterized by impassioned and brutal emotion. Pounding riffage and fiery lyricism work hand-in-hand to form a cacophony of chaos and catharsis.
The third single off their forthcoming record, RUCKUS!, “Fail You” shows Movements embracing and enhancing their alt-punk roots with thrilling instrumentals, soaring melodies, and introspective songwriting. Set for release August 18, 2023, via Fearless Records, RUCKUS! marks an exciting venture into indie rock territory and broadens the band’s sonic texture, citing influences such as Gorillaz and The Strokes. But, with “Fail You” leaning heavier both thematically and sonically, Movements reassure us that they’re far from abandoning what they do best.
The themes of the song are made clear in the chorus: shame, failure, fear, and the suffocating weight of your past. Brimming with raw emotion and heart-rending vulnerability, momentum heightens as instruments explode and Miranda goes from slow crooning to powerful belting. It’s everything that makes Movements, Movements: infectious and energetic, candid and captivating, punchy and profound.
“‘Fail You’ has all the inner workings of a classic Movements track wrapped up in a shiny new package and served with a newer, more modern Movements sound,” Miranda explains. “It’s a song about the fear of letting someone down and losing someone you love — reliving the mistakes over and over again and being haunted by all of your wrongdoings. Fans of both the new and old sounds will find something to love with this one.”
Movements paint vivid lyrical portraits of sleepless nights, detailing the effects of distorted, anxiety-driven thought patterns — never moving from past mistakes, premeditating failure, and falling victim to self-doubt and sabotage, on personal and interpersonal bases. Feeling “speechless and weakened,” isolated and powerless, the fear of losing a lover becomes paralyzing and polarizing. Rasped screams swirl over an epic guitar and thrashing percussions, pricing “Fail You” not only a masterfully written post-hardcore track, but masterfully produced as well.
With RUCKUS! on the horizon, this single serves a tantalizing taste of what Movements have prepared for this August, astounding and thrilling with their bold melodies and earnest themes. Never failing to keep listeners on their toes, as of writing this, the band has released their latest single, “Tightrope” on June 16th.
The latter half of 2023 looks promising and exciting for the Southern California quartet; as they gear up to hit the road for a North American tour this fall, we’ll be rewarded even further with epic, powerful, and mosh pit-inducing live performances. Catch Movements on their headlining tour for RUCKUS! here, and rest assured, they won’t “Fail You.”