It Won’t Always Be Like This opens with storming visual imagery. In the pouring rain as the lightning strikes through the sky on a stormy night, the title track/album opener “It Won’t Always Be Like This” roars through time and landing in your eardrum. Raw power from a younger time with an intensified, driven energy and kaleidoscopic, swirling color and imagery, Inhaler challenges your senses with a phenomenal album.
With infectious melodic ideas and introspective lyricism, the band takes you to another universe with something deeply touching. Written in the younger years, “It Won’t Always Be Like This” has reserved an innocent, rebellious perspective that peaks through time in its storytelling. Trying to understand the world while finding its own ground. A cinematic and epic skyscape immediately drags you in, witnessing the happening in the driver’s seat as it swirls in the rain.
Inhaler continues to dive deeper with an intensified, guitar-driven “My Honest Face.” Dramatic colors, in contrast, the track surprises you with an unconventional thrilling knock that pounds five times at every verse. The initial encounter evokes a strange, yet exhilarating feeling as it then evolves into something toxic and addictive, which reflects the conflicting fakeness (party face) that one constantly puts on. There’s a touch of surrealism in its heart-wrenching realness. A darker shadow approaches you while something in the background embellishes an untouchable spirit that always guides the way.
Just as its name suggests, “Sliding Out of The Window” creates an out-of-this-world experience. Like looking into a mirror in a distorted time and space, the track again shifted to a different dreamscape, filled with nostalgia and a sense of sadness. Visualizing lyricism that touches on love and scenes is something special and personal, locked in a vintage chest.
“A Night On The Floor” is a mixture of influences. Taking an immersive cinematic approach in its instrumentation. Scratchy guitar paired with a dark, haunting vocal line that reminded you of temptation. Rock n Roll soundscape with a touch of hip hop and experimental sonics. The track is filled with extreme details yet undistinguishable in our human eyes. A multi-lining Wah-Wah guitar concludes with exhaustion.
“Who’s Your Money On” took a step back into the unknown. An oddly-shaped stranger that disappeared in flashlights. Slight disconnection and distance. The crisp percussion and obscure lo-fi edge open up a colorful, psychedelic, progressive adventure with “In My Sleep” where a light Irish influence flashes through its sonics.
Written by Katrina Yang
Photo credit: Dan Kenny
Press Q&A with Inhaler
Q (RISING ARTISTS BLOG): Let’s talk about the title track. From the initial idea to what we hear today, what are some stages the song has gone through?
INHALER: It used to be just the bass riff, over and over again, and the drumbeat. We didn’t know what to do with it for three years. We started playing it one day and it just all came together quite fast. That was years ago. The title was kind of coming off age. We were 17 or 16 when we wrote it, so it didn’t really have a name. So we were looking for a name for this album. When the pandemic happened, it just all made sense. (Elijah Newsom)
Q (THE BARRICADE BLOG): What is the inspiration for “My Honest Face”?
INHALER: I think around the time we were starting to play gigs and figuring out what we wanted to say and how we wanted to dress. The song was about that. Putting the stage clothes, realizing people who were there were actually wanting to hear from us. We were pretty young, so it was a pretty intense experience. (Newsom)
Q: If you could’ve written any song in history, what would that be?
INHALER: “Happy Birthday.” (Newsom) Whoever wrote “Old Mcdonald” was a genius (just kidding). (Ryan McMahon)
“Life On Mars” maybe, that was pretty good. “Love Me Do” from The Beatles
Q (ENVI MEDIA): Ireland has its own history of rock. Is there any local artist you were inspired by?
INHALER: There are quite a few bands from Dublin. Fontaines D.C. that are making moves globally. It’s quite inspiring to see that. The guitar band to being able to attract a large population for something from a few years ago. Such non-cool things and nonpopular things, that is nice to see. Not just in Dublin, there is another Irish band called The Clockworks that are really good.
There’s just a growing community of young, inspired musical artists. They’re not really holding on to one style of music. It’s really nice to be a part of that. (McMahon)
Q: If there was only one song to introduce someone who has never heard of your music. What would that be?
INHALER: “My Honest Face” because it was the most strange. Maybe, “In My Sleep” too. It’s another good one.
Q (ANTI MAG): In the past, you guys had difficulty pursuing music when your family initially disapproved of your achievements as a full-time career. How was it dealing with not having that support and what ways did it push you to prove yourself?
INHALER: I think they were always very supportive actually. I think we cared about it less when we were younger. We were more ignorant about it, and we were just really wanted to do music. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine myself doing something else. Once they saw we had a passion and a real drive in it. We were rehearsing it every day. They kind of understood, we understood that we could do that now. (Newsom)
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