To acknowledge NAIDOC week 2021, Queensland hardcore outfit Wildheart have released a brutal new single False Hope/Fake Happiness, which shines a light on capitalist ideologies of associating self-worth with material possessions. The melodic guitars set an ominous stage for the lyrical concepts to shine and with the duel vocals and drumming, the track reminds us a little of early Amity Affliction. The colourful, yet paired back performance-style clip allows the viewer to focus on the intention of the track.
False Hope/Fake Happiness will be out on all digital platforms this Friday, July 9 but you can catch the premiere of it right here, right now.
Fronted by vocalist Axel Best - a proud Yugambeh man - the band's previous single Backburner highlighted very concisely about the Australian Government's response to the 2020 Bushfires and their lack of acknowledgement of Indigenous bushfire control methods.
Axel says that this new single and video False Hope/Fake Happiness "...takes a slight deviation from the more politically driven nature of Wildheart's latest releases Rising Tide and Backburner, and turns to a more insightful but equally anti-capitalist look at how we, particularly in western society have become so dependant on material gains in order to achieve a sense of self-worth and value. Could we learn to be happy with who we are, or just fill the pockets of those who tell us we're not?"
From NAIDOC: "It calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. According to NAIDOC, Country is inherent to the identity of First Nations peoples."
"People are unfortunately roped into this system and while we have a very long way to go until we see any form of true equality where people aren’t simply slaving away to make someone else rich, on an individual basis we can really look at what we should be investing our time and energy into. This song asks the question ‘Are you really full and happy or just happy to be full?’ We definitely don’t have all the answers but we know that we are not meant to spend all our time working ourselves to an early grave."
The single was recorded, mixed and mastered by Gareth Hargreaves. The clip was Filmed & Edited by Daniel Ramsey of SP\LIT Media.
False Hope/Fake Happiness is out Friday, July 9 and it can be purchased/streamed/pre-saved here.
Wildheart were featured in a piece this week highlighting 6 Emerging Heavy Bands with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Members. Check it out for more amazing music.
Listen to Wildheart now.
