They Fear Us is the second and final studio album by British metalcore band Ithaca. It was released through Hassle Records on 29 July 2022.[8][1][9][10][11][12]
| They Fear Us | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 July 2022 | |||
| Studio | The Ranch Production House | |||
| Genre | Metalcore, post-hardcore, progressive metal, black metal, screamo, shoegaze | |||
| Length | 35:04 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Hassle Records | |||
| Producer | Lewis Johns | |||
| Ithaca chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from They Fear Us | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Kerrang! | 5/5[1] |
| Metal Hammer |   [2] |
| New Noise Magazine |  [3] |
| Ox-Fanzine | [4] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[5] |
| Rock Hard | 5.5/10[6] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5[7] |
Thematically, the album is emotionally charged and deals with anger, revenge, depression, self-loathing, self-healing, and catharsis.[13][14][15] Musically, it has been described as pushing the boundaries of metallic hardcore, using elements from progressive metal, black metal, screamo, and, less frequently, shoegaze.[1][5][2][16]
The album received widespread critical acclaim; in particular, vocalist Djamila Boden Azzouz garnered praise for her adept harnessing of both clean and screamed singing styles, earning the band comparisons to Rolo Tomassi and Deftones.[1][5][2][7] Both Kerrang! and Metal Hammer placed it within their top three albums of 2022.[17][18] The latter also named it the year's best metalcore album.[19]
Three music videos have been released in support of the album, one for "They Fear Us", another for "Camera Eats First"[13][20] and, on 31 May 2023, one for "Fluorescent".[21]
Tracklist
editAll tracks are written by Ithaca: Djamila Boden Azzouz, James Lewis, Will Sweet, Dom Moss, and Sam Chetan-Welsh
| No. | Title | Guest vocalist: | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In the Way" | 3:22 | |
| 2. | "The Future Says Thank You" | 3:38 | |
| 3. | "They Fear Us" | 4:10 | |
| 4. | "Camera Eats First" | 4:53 | |
| 5. | "Cremation Party" | 2:07 | |
| 6. | "Number Five" | 2:47 | |
| 7. | "Fluorescent" | 3:40 | |
| 8. | "You Should Have Gone Back" | 5:48 | |
| 9. | "Hold, Be Held" | Yansé Cooper | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 35:04 | ||
Personnel
editFrom Ithaca's bandcamp:[8]
Ithaca
edit- Djamila Boden Azzouz – lead vocals
- Sam Chetan-Welsh – guitar
- Will Street – guitar
- Dom Moss – bass guitar
- James Lewis – drums
Additional musicians
edit- Yansé Cooper – vocals (on "Hold, Be Held")
- Susie Wedderburn – brass
- Hannah Ashman – woodwind and keyboard
- Calum Muir – keyboard
- Lewis Johns – keyboard and programming
Production and design
edit- Lewis Johns (The Ranch Production House) – production and mixing
- Grant Berry (Fader Mastering) – mastering
- Simon Small (Tunnel of Reverb) – additional vocal recordings
- Martin "gingerdope" Wisniewska – photography
- Kathryn Lewis – artwork and layout
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Album review: Ithaca – They Fear Us". Kerrang!. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Leaver, Elliot (25 July 2022). "Ithaca's They Fear Us: metallic hardcore firebrands stake their claim to greatness with stellar second album". Metal Hammer. Louder. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Lacuna, Nat (29 July 2022). "Album Review: Ithaca - They Fear Us". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ de Castro, Isabel Ferreira (October–November 2022). "Review - Ithaca - They Fear Us". www.ox-fanzine.de (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "Ithaca: They Fear Us". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "They Fear Us - RockHard". www.rockhard.de (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Review: Ithaca – They Fear Us". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ a b "They Fear Us, by Ithaca". Bandcamp. Ithaca. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "They Fear Us by Ithaca". Genius. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ They Fear Us – Ithaca | Releases | AllMusic, retrieved 15 April 2023
- ^ Ithaca – They Fear Us, Discogs, retrieved 15 April 2023
- ^ "Ithaca : They Fear Us". Spirit of Metal. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ a b Mills, Matt (22 July 2022). "Ithaca: 'We said: "Stop supporting racist bands". Our Facebook page was flooded with Nazis'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Ithaca: "This is about divine feminine power"". Kerrang!. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ Wilkes, Emma (8 November 2022). "Ithaca are pushing conversations around fatness and feminism to the forefront of metal". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ Hobson, Rich (4 February 2022). "Ithaca's empowering new single They Fear Us is "about inner power, femininity and why people should fear us"". Metal Hammer. Louder. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "The 50 best albums of 2022". Kerrang!. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Hobson, Rich; O'Boyle, Tom; McFee, Edwin; Chillingworth, Alec; Daly, Joe; Brennan, Adam; Travers, Paul; Hill, Stephen; Maughan, Sophie (26 December 2022). "The 50 best metal albums of 2022". Metal Hammer. Louder. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Hobson, Rich; Leaver, Elliot; Brennan, Adam; Hill, Stephen; Young, Nik; Whelan, Kez; Mills, Matt; Leivers, Dannii (17 December 2022). "The 10 best metalcore albums of 2022". Metal Hammer. Louder. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Ithaca share powerful new single and video, Camera Eats First". Kerrang!. June 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Ithaca have announced their first-ever U.S. tour". Kerrang!. June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.