Polterguise is a Ghost-type Pokémon move that does 110 damage to the opponent, if they’re holding an item. Oh wait, that’s Poltergeist, our bad. The band in question’s new EP, Eurydice, drops Friday the 20th, and it’s got two guest appearances from the likes of Properties Of Nature and With Sails Ahead, who are also quite good (and must-listens if you’re a fan of the progressive side of post-hardcore).
We’re stoked to bring you a track-by-track of the new EP (and the EP itself) shortly ahead of its drop date tomorrow. Give it a spin and read along with us, too.
Sympathy Pains
As with many songs I’ve written, Sympathy Pains is a mirror held up to myself. It’s about reliance on vices, in my particular case, alcohol. It’s recalling all the good, as well as horrible times, I’ve had with drinking. As of the time of writing this, I’ve been sober a year now, so the track is my way of sort of speaking to my former self. Realizing that my pursuit of a good time was actually me ruining my own life little by little. I was constantly fighting uphill, pursuing some kind of meaning, and finding that I had slid back down that hill everyday as a result of my own actions. So this track just goes over the feelings of anxiety, bad health, anger, and overall dislike of the former self as a result of unchecked vice. It is an angry song, but one that silently celebrates who I’ve fought to become.
Datura (feat. Properties of Nature)
This song evolved from poetry I had written about a dissolving relationship. It’s the feeling of watching the connection deteriorate, feeling the incompatibility grow day after day, knowing you are headed for collapse, and finally accepting that fact.
Hatsuyume
Hatsuyume is about the oxymoron of knowing what you need to do to better yourself, but doing the exact opposite. Repeating self destructive behaviors, while wishing for improvement. The song asks us to reflect on our chosen behaviors versus our thoughts and desires. Sometimes the mind houses a completely different character than what a person’s actions show.
Bleachbather
Bleachbather addresses what it’s like to combat intrusive thoughts. A constant reminder of violence,
a constant nagging of unwanted mental imagery. It’s battling these thoughts and feelings over and over,
and reminding oneself that thoughts don’t always equal character.
Lotus Eater
Lotus Eater is an anthem against the vapid nature of modern celebrity. Not necessarily suggesting that celebrity in itself is wrong, or inherently negative, but that the manner in which its approached often leads to emotional turmoil. Putting people on a pedestal to the point where they can do no wrong, they can never be held accountable for missteps. Oftentimes, it’s not even a real personality on display, all crafted for product placements and marketing strategies, so the connection between follower and poster is shallow at best.
Sailor’s Grave (feat. With Sails Ahead)
Sailor’s Grave is actually a remake of the first Polterguise song ever written. It was originally an acoustic track, lyrically written to be about my parents. Watching my father work his life away, as my sick mother stayed home to take care of the family emotionally, and all the difficulties that come with such a harsh and imbalanced lifestyle. We saw that it sonically had the opportunity to be reworked into something more fitting for our current sound, and knew it would be a good spot for our friend Sierra from With Sails Ahead to lay down some of her vocal talent as well.
Where Does It Go in the Night?
This final song spawned from locking myself up in the basement and just grinding out some heavy riffs with some of my favorite ethereal chords. Lyrically, I called upon some of my favorite poetry I hadn’t used for the band yet. It just happened to fit perfectly sonically. I’d prefer to leave the intended meaning of this one a mystery. Interpret it how you will.
