From the far reaches of the Canadian North in the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife’s award-winning (Best New Single at the 2022 Music NWT Awards) Gnarwhal are bringing forth their doomy stoner sludge rock sound to the masses with their forthcoming EP “Altered States” due out on May 24th, 2024.
Unveiling singles “Tides” and the EP’s title tracks over the last few weeks, the quartet is getting ready with their latest peek at the release with “The War/Nothing More”, which is actually two songs that the band wrote at completely different times and thought they would work well stitched together.
Guitarist Benji Straker comments:
“I wrote The War shortly after we finished recording our first album. At that same time, I was writing music for my Hughes project EP so lyrically and thematically it fit right in line with that. Once I finished it, I actually released it as an acoustic solo version on the EP, Here I Am. The Nothing More demo was written shortly after and musically it was inspired by my classic post-hardcore/punk influences. I think Refused would be the main driver of the rhythm on this track.”
Vocalist Mark Kilbride adds:
“In Nothing More, I am fond of the lyric: “Shed your skin to make it”. This part relates to putting in the work day in and day out, wanting something so bad you are willing to do anything just to grasp it. Pushing your own boundaries, knowing you put the time and effort into your vision. “Whole again you can’t fake it”: Being authentic. To be whole this character has to believe in this process and be present in his delivery of the songs.”
The band’s sophomore record, “Altered States” promises to deliver a diverse and introspective musical journey in which the band artfully navigates the realms of heavy alternative fuzz rock and progressive metal, creating a sound that is uniquely their own.
“We hope our progression as a band and as songwriters appeals to our fans and listeners. The Altered States EP is a bit darker and maybe heavier than our first one. Conceptually and thematically, the songs on the EP fit together better as a package and we hope this is conducive to a front-to-back experience for listeners”,
says Srtaker.
