by emma schoors
photo by beth saravo
The word “fever” originates from a heavy-handed list of similar words: Greek tephra, or "ashes,” Lithuanian dāgas, or "heat”: even a brief look into Proto-Indo-European language will reveal a connection to “to burn.” However, the title of Against The Current’s latest EP fever isn’t just a tailor-made summing of the songs; seconds into “that won’t save us,” feverish dissolves into an understatement.
“Maybe we were born to fight,” lead singer Chrissy Costanza pleads, following with lines like “Well, the duller the knife, the deeper the scars.” More calls-to-action than admissions of defeat, vulnerability is cemented as a lyrical strength for the pop-rock trio. By the start of “weapon” the openness sets in, and so does the excitement.
Calling back memories of The Used’s “Over And Over Again” (“The bite from the taste and the smell of the sick somehow reminds me to be myself / Over and over again”), “again&again” is simultaneously nostalgic and completely new. Constanza softly admits, “My body's a temple crowded with ghosts. Hard as I try, I'm never alone.”
“jump” and “burn it down” are high-energy and highlighted by drummer Will Ferri’s fervent beat. The compactness of these tracks give leeway to “shatter,” which is an unexpected yet pleasant slowing of the EP. “You won’t see me shatter,” Constanza insists, upon guitarist Dan Gow’s melancholic melody. This melancholy doesn’t linger for long, as the imminent stinging end of the EP approaches. “lullaby” packs a definite punch, and excitedly wraps up what is one hell of a listening experience.
Against The Current is on fire, and fever is a restless, all-consuming ratification of their status as pop-rock royalty.