The American hardcore punk band from Orange County may have been pushing the boundaries of their sound of late, but on their new single they make a roaring return to their hardcore roots.
In a year that’s seen the US band release a lo-fi electronica collaboration and a smooth acoustic EP, ‘More Of Us Than Them’ echoes the US band’s traditional combative style.
The core of the song was written in 2015 by the late Tom Searle, who had been diagnosed with skin cancer. Shortly before he passed away, the Architects guitarist sent STYG frontman Jesse Barnett the key song idea.
Barnett explained: “The email contained a breakdown that he had written and felt was ‘too STYG to be used for Architects’. It was massive. We tried for years to turn it into a song to no avail.
“After Tom’s passing and the effect it had on everyone, Chris [Rawson, STYG guitarist] decided he was going to give it another shot. He then wrote the music for what became our song More Of Us Than Them.”
STYG and Architects previously played the 2013 Vans Warped Tour and more recently toured the US together in 2018. That outing saw STYG support their last full-length release, 2017’s True View, some of the themes of which are echoed by More Of Us Than Them.
“This song is about understanding that the people who run our day to day lives don’t have our interests at heart,” Jesse said. “They don’t have the planet’s interest at heart. All they care about is ever-growing profit and power.
“The fact that we have put walls in front of things that are necessary for survival is fucking criminal, and I vow to wake up every day with the intention of tearing that system down, and although Tom is no longer with us, I think he’d be proud of what we all made together.”
More of Us Than Them is released in Europe on End Hits Records and via Pure Noise Records in the rest of the world.
This month’s release follows a series of down-tempo electronica collaborations between Less Gravity and a bunch of Pure Noise bands, including Rotting Out, Year Of The Knife, State Champs and STYG, whose ‘Married To The Noise’ gets a lo-fi reworking.
Meanwhile, STYG’s ‘The Meaning Remains’ EP, out at the start of this year, featured acoustic versions of three of their songs and a sax-driven cover of ‘Take On Me’ by ’80s popsters A-Ha.
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