Introduced by mellow and clean guitar arpeggios, ‘Empty Home’ might feel a tamed effort, at least at first. Hosting Crux’s theatrical and nuanced storytelling, the record builds towards its resolution with charisma and appealing quietness. A catchy hook repeats numerous times, grabbing the listener’s attention before being disrupted by a sudden change in intensity and saturation, with Crux finally showing their true face: a hard-hitting outfit balanced between punk-rock and prog territories, with a strong eye to eclecticism and peculiarity.
There are a few levels to it. First, ‘Empty Home’ is clearly a masterpiece in musical prowess, showcasing the band’s instrumental ability and compositional genius. Secondly, there’s a more hidden – if you will – songwriting expertise, which might not appear obvious right away, given the project’s prominent guitar-based aesthetic. Truth is, they can write good melodies and relatable storytelling. Not to mention Crux’s great vocals, always on point.
Delving into the lyricism behind the ‘Empty Home’, the group explain: “Entropy is a key theme to this song, time never stops for anyone and unfortunately nothing lasts. A house is used as an example, and how over time ‘the pipes are beginning to burst’, ‘the water pools and there’s mould growing on the walls’, ‘time has stopped as the structure slowly sinks”.
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