Southern California's post-hardcore stalwarts MOVEMENTS are pleased to announce the September 4 release of their new album Happier Now via Fearless Records. Along with the new release announcement, the band has fired off not one but two new tracks with "Dissolve Me" and "Back in My Ways" both streaming below.
Movements have earned their reputation in the post-hardcore scene with mathy, discordant riffs wrapped in forward-thinking melodies. The band further perfects the formula that has served it so well with "Dissolve Me," which features tense and angular riffs wrapped in shimmering, layered vocal harmonies. It's a hardcore bop that will have the kids in the pit jumping up and down and dancing like no one is watching.
"'Dissolve Me,' the first track we wrote for this record, set a precedent for our writing process," explains Miranda. "Nailing the lead single for an album cycle on the first try is a significant accomplishment. It felt like the perfect culmination of energy, emotion, and growth for us sonically. Like much of the record, this song is introspective, and It's a sort of confession about my own social behaviors and the challenges I face in navigating even the smallest or most 'normal' everyday interactions. Those feelings tend to accumulate and worsen over time, to the point where they can become debilitating. Sometimes it feels like the only remedy would be to slam my head into a wall." But rather, the band members channel those frustrations into their music!
Movements have also served up a moody and melancholic volley with "Back In My Ways." It's a master class in slow burn sonic storytelling. The tinny riffs and evenly-delivered vocals steadily escalate through to the final third of the song. That's when the track absolutely erupts in a torrent of riffs and a rush of emotive vocals. "Back In My Ways" hits you in all of the post-hardcore feels. Ultimately, "Back in My Ways" was a grower for the band, and one that harks back to the band's earlier sounds.
"'Back in My Ways' was a track that I kinda hated at first," offers Miranda. "I think there was part of me that was hesitant to want to slip back into the 'sadder' side of our music. Sometimes the early versions of the songs we write don't hit right away, but over time it's become one of my favorite tracks on the record. This song is a slow burn in more ways than one, and it's really special."
More about Movements and the new LP:
Movements are proud to announce their fourth full-length album for Fearless Records, Happier Now, with GRAMMY-winner Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight, Circa Survive) once again serving as producer. The result is an album that's as expansive as it is emotional and takes Movements' signature sound to a heightened level that further establishes the band as scene statesmen.
"I think at first we weren’t really sure what the record was going to be," vocalist Patrick Miranda admits. "We all had a general idea: We wanted it to bring in the early elements of our sound and blend it with the newer material like [2023's] RUCKUS! and mesh both of those sounds." Two of the songs that came from that initial session were the album’s first two singles: The instantly infectious anthem "Dissolve Me" and moody meditation "Back In My Ways," which collectively acted as sonic north stars to guide the band through the recording process.
In many ways, Happier Now is a full circle moment for Movements, who are once again performing on the Warped Tour this summer and slowly becoming veterans of the community that inspired them growing up. The struggle never sounded so sweet.
