Japanese electro-metalcore legends Crossfaith have just released their new five-track EP Species, which the band have said will set their course for the next decade.
Vocalist Kenta Koie was gracious enough to give us a full track-by-track explanation, going into themes of frustration, anger and sadness. Take a listen to the EP below while reading Kenta's take on each!
01 - Digital Parasite
Digital Parasite was written by our guitarist Kazu. When he first began writing it he had the image of something “dirty” and “heavy”, something that would even give people the creeps. The song is really an explosion with lyrics stemming from our frustration. The track talks about social life; a lot of people pretend to be different kinds of people socially, or some people even become megalomaniac to confuse others to get attention. The music industry can be like that at times, and to that I would say "That is bullshit, don't believe the hype.”
02 - Endorphin
Endorphin is the lead track of the EP and it’s inspired by 90s Rave Music. We mixed signature Acid Bass and influences from the post-hardcore era. This definitely forms the new sound of Crossfaith. The lyrics are about the struggle of life, where you are trying to define yourself but go astray. Overall it’s about that process and that true heart-cry of trying to find yourself.
03 - Truth of Insanity
Truth of Insanity has speed and riffage right from the start, from the beginning it’s a sound that only Crossfaith can make. The lyrics are about contradiction in the world and the antithesis for that. The media and government are absolutely collapsed right now, even making fake news to get people's attention or hiding important information from the public. Aside from the meaning of this song, we believe it will be an important moment in our live shows.
04 - None of Your Business
None Of Your Business expresses straight up ANGER. We wanted to make a song that would shut up the people who have jealousy, interfere in others’ lives and so on. We've invited Jin Dogg who is the most violent rapper in Japan to bring guest vocals to the track, bringing a brilliant crossover between rap and hardcore. This was our first time working with a rapper and was a great experience, we can't wait to play it live with Jin Dogg.
05 - Your Song
In this song I’m singing a farewell of a past time that everybody had experienced. It’s got a sadness and emptiness to it. We focused a lot on the chorus and playing with soundscape which increases the emotion of the song. We like to think it’s the revival of post hardcore era in our own way. We have all grown up with post-hardcore and metalcore, so you’ll definitely find authentic post-hardcore stylisation in this song. I hope people can sense the evolution of our techniques on display that have developed over our careers.
Listen to Crossfaith now.
