Careful Gaze's 'Wolf' Is Melodically Aggressive Punk with an Emo Take

Careful Gaze’s ‘Wolf’ is sad, melodically aggressive punk rock with a decidedly emo take. “We wrote this song for all of our friends and family that struggle through life while facing mental health issues,” the band says. The angsty fluctuation between the gruff spoken-word approach and more orthodox crooning these guys partake in gives the piece a very dramatic feel. It furthers the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest vibe. The recurring theme of the birds, an idea gleaned from a friend of the group’s quote, “I enjoy everything, and I enjoy the birds I watch,” gives the narrative element of the song some structure. Musically, this is some relatively standard modern post-hardcore. It does a light progressive or experimental edge reminiscent of A Lot Like Birds or new wave skramz groups like Pianos Become the Teeth or La Dispute, though. Those influences are there, but they really don’t lean into them too much – in a lot of ways, the track is pretty standard fare for the scene. This is a solid track from a band with a message. Check out ‘Wolf’ below!