Witch Fever - 'SAFE'
Forever pushing past boundaries and bending genres, Witch Fever’s latest single, ‘SAFE’, is anger and heartache rolled into one infectious track.
The genre-defying Manchester four-piece Witch Fever today release their final single, ‘SAFE’, from their upcoming second album ‘FEVEREATEN’, which is set for release on the 31st of October. The Mancunian band keep on proving that their music cannot be confined by any one genre. With their latest releases, they have continued to push boundaries and combine sounds to create their own unique noise, and ‘SAFE’ is no different. It is a shoegaze meets doom punk, meets grunge type of track, with surprising hints of vulnerability and softness woven throughout.
The opening immediately catches you off guard whilst simultaneously drawing you in. It starts quick, a rush of furious guitars before it suddenly dips, allowing the drums to slowly, softly make their presence known. The constant change of pace, the ebb and flow of instruments working together and against each other, will keep you on your toes, capture your attention, have you trying to guess which direction the track will take next. When Amy Walpole’s vocals come in, siren-like and haunting, it feels like the dust settling…but only momentarily.
The steady flow of the guitars, the consistent beating of the drums and Walpole’s vocals are almost hypnotic. ‘SAFE’ sounds like a dark, twisty lullaby, before the chorus begins, and Witch Fever’s anger and ferocity comes out in full force. Crashing drums and raging guitars, the heaviness of it like a swift punch in the throat, takes you fully by surprise. The vocals, which started softly, become guttural as together Witch Fever almost scream, “I was safe / wrapped in the touch you once meant.” The emotion that pours out is almost overwhelming, the anger and pain all-consuming.
‘SAFE’ is a “bittersweet ballad about a relationship turned friendship” which most people have experienced at some point in their lives. The pain and tenderness of that experience are clear throughout the song. From the lyrics “special for a time / but it wasn’t right” to the way the vocals and the sound of the track constantly switch from slow, almost gentle, somewhat down the shoegaze path, to heavy, rage-fuelled, punk energy. The instrumental bridge creates a vulnerable moment of reflection, a brief pause between the chaos of the song. While the ending, ghostly strings and piano keys, will crack your chest open and leave you aching.
‘SAFE’ feels like new territory for Witch Fever, a rare display of tenderness and vulnerability, while simultaneously remaining heavy, bone-rattling. It gets right under your skin, lingers in your mind for hours after just one listen. It leaves you with an almost ache in your chest. If ‘SAFE’, and the singles that came before it, are anything to go by, then Witch Fever’s upcoming album ‘FEVEREATEN’ is set to haunt us all, but in a good way.
Words by Angela English
