Why So Serious Courage Cloak? Post-Rock Shoegaze with Hardcore Punk Roots

The debut S/T LP from Courage Cloak is available now.

When you mix 3/5 post-hardcore band Life & Limb with 1/5 of hardcore band Matahari, you get Boston’s post rock/shoegaze band, Courage Cloak.

“We all come from a hardcore / punk background which is awesome because in that world you learn how to work your ass off and how shitty or rewarding being in a DIY band can be. That experience provides a great work ethic,” Sean Farrell (vox/guitar) explains. “Going from being in hardcore bands to Life & Limb to Courage Cloak has felt like a pretty natural and deliberate progression as the music shares a lot of concurrent, underlying themes.”

“Heavy music is a beautiful and effective means to convey the heavy emotions we all experience, the good and bad.”

Less screamy, more reflecting, and influenced by the likes of Deftones, Hum and The Life and Times, Courage Cloak has released their debut S/T record, available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp for $5 digital download and $10 limited edition 12” vinyl (500). A 4-song creation with 75% of the tracks clocking in at over 6 minutes and labeled as an “LP”, this record just makes the cut as such with a minute fifteen to spare if we were depending on Official Chart Company’s (UK) qualification of an LP as over 25 minutes.

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“Heavy music is a beautiful and effective means to convey the heavy emotions we all experience, the good and bad. We are trying to make music that evokes an emotional response and creates a connection with the audience,” Farrell tells Bishop And Rook.

“The lyrical content is more about the subconscious and ideas of transformation and growth. Since everyone's reaction or interpretation is going to be subjectively influenced by their own experiences we'd like to make music that can establish a broader connection and let people's own minds run with it.”

What is so appealing about this genre is how the instruments can unearth or decipher, audibly, these unbeknownst feelings. The buildup, the climax and the crucial photo finish. Post-rock shoegaze is like the electricity in the air when his manic pixie dream girl meets her tall dark and handsome. It’s a true talent to orchestrate a score that is gifted with the ability to encourage such unintentional, thought-provoking moments. And we can grasp the potential for that ability scattered about this 4-song record. It will be interesting to see how this band evolves.

In celebration of the new album, the band will perform a record release show on November 14th at The Democracy Center in Harvard Square, Cambridge, along with Black Elm and Big Kill. This all ages release show starts at 7p, first band on at 8p, and has a sliding Scale of $5-$10. Event details here.

Stream and or purchase Courage Cloak's S/T LP today on Bandcamp and follow them on Facebook for additional show and release information.