Easycore and pop-punk have hit South African shores with the band, I Believe In Giants making many waves in the SA music scene lately.
The group recently opened for US post-hardcore band, Our Last Night on their current SA tour and made quite an impression with their happy beats and positive lyrics, all infused with a chugging, anthem-like sound. The musos in Believe in Giants are no newcomers when it comes to stage presence. The former guitarist of City of Heroes, Jean Lombard, and the bassist of Straatligkinders, Hein Kruger, provide punch alongside the talented Spencer Harvey, formerly of The Dead Will Tell (drums), and Arno Venter (guitar) of Held On Till May.
Here is my list of their top 5 songs:
5. Northern Lights
‘Northern Lights’ starts off this countdown with its easycore simplicity and uplifting lyrics. The song looks at following the light instead of letting the darkness get a hold of you. ‘Let the fire burn through your veins. Let your heart lead you each and every day,’ sings Lombard to some heavy, dropped guitar riffs that make the track unique. This number is a call for everyone to live their lives to the full and wake up to their true potential. With these inspiring lyrics and energetic melodies, you can be sure to start believing again. A refreshing piece of music in a generation of negativity.
4. Kings of the Sky
This is one of the more aggressive tracks on the band’s debut EP, Sink Or Swim. It features CrashCarBurn’s Garth Barnes on vocals. Barnes’s addition to this track works brilliantly and provides the perfect foil for Lombard to scream his lungs out.
‘There’s nothing here that can break us. Nobody here gonna drag us down tonight,’ is one of the most powerful lines as it looks at proving your doubters wrong. The positive vibe is fantastic and hits a high point in the chorus, where both Barnes and Lombard sing ‘Long live the kings of the sky’ at full volume.
3. Against All Odds
The opening guitar riff is one of the best elements of this track. The palm-muted riffs elicit a 2000’s pop-punk feel before the entire band joins in, in the intro. The first verse is short and sharp with Lombard and the guest vocalist, Bryan McLagan, formerly of The Finkelstiens producing some fantastic vocals. The verse focuses on keeping going even though the odds are stacked against you:
‘Passed out on the floor. We’re still breathing. We’ve been here before. Keep believing!’ A fantastic chorus that flows brilliantly amplifies this strong message: ‘Darkest day, endless night. Pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. Against all odds, we still fight.’
2. Rise and Fall
‘Even if I rise, even if I fall, it’s better than not to have tried at all.’ These are some of the most inspiring lyrics in this cracker of a song. It opens with a typical, easycore intro with a couple of chugging riffs and mini leads. The lead guitar work from Venter and De la Porte adds to the flow and offers something different. The gang-style vocals, ‘It’s something they’ll just never get, cause it’s not, it’s not theirs to regret,’ is also a welcome addition to the song. Kruger’s clear bass notes in the second verse and the elongated scream from Lombard are more standout moments in this number. This song focuses on the need to rise from disappointment instead of sinking. Together with the energetic music, it is bound to put anyone in the right mood.
1. Never Say Die
The opening dropped guitar riff and chugging hit you right between the eyes from the start. You are guaranteed to bob your head to this melody. The track focuses on never giving up and pushing through. Lombard emphasises this in the first verse, ‘This time I’ll get it right, won’t crash and burn tonight! It’s often hard to make sense of it all when your heart’s upside down and ready, ready to fall.’
The screams in the pre-chorus at ‘Just don’t give up along the way. You might just change, just change the world today!’ are also brilliantly executed to keep the pumping beat going. The group incorporates the mix of cleans and screams to perfection and it adds to the vibrancy of this stand-out track. The most important message is the need to define your self-worth. ‘The best thing is for you to follow your heart and, when you leave all your fears behind, it is yourself that you will find.’
