East Midlands metalcore synth band We Are Sovereign bring us a delicious taste of 2000s alongside a core focus on resilience in a sound they describe as “raw, emotional, hard-hitting, relatable and nostalgic.”
The Derby band was first formed by Laura (screams) back in 2019, when they solidified the concept for an album before bringing in Ash (cleans), Sandy (bass) and Ed (drums). And the quartet live by the motto: “We speak for those who feel like giving up, We speak for those who feel like they have lost the way, We speak for those who fear the unknown, We Are Sovereign.”
And on the sound they’ve crafted, Laura told us: “Musically, we’ve taken a blend of many genres and influences from growing up, mixed the elements together and are bringing back that early 2000s alternative nostalgic feel. We’d say our music is relatable and the sound is that of an emotional rollercoaster in the best way.
“Our sound is a storytelling journey. If you put emotions, synth, cleans, screams, piano, samples, guitars, bass, drums, the unexpected and the early 2000s era of metalcore, post hardcore into a blender, you’d get us. Our music makes you feel. The feedback we have had from people who listen to our music is that we remind them of the early 2000s era of metalcore, emo and post-hardcore, but we have our own sound and way of doing it which is refreshing to hear.”
We chatted to the band around the release of their debut album Step Out Your Comfort Zone, which was released in September. It opens with a synthy intro that feeds into Don’t You Dare Quit (Resilience), which begins with chunky guitars and synths supporting Ash’s engaging clean vocals. Laura’s heavier vocals join in, then take centre stage alongside punchy synths and heavy guitars, which feeds into an engaging chorus “Lost but never found don’t you dare quit on me now, Nothing will ever feel like home, These waves will carry me to the place I’m destined to be, Would you hold me in your memories, Or like footprints will they wash away, I’m living in a place that never feels like home.”
A second chorus is followed by a spoken section that we presume is a rather unfair negative review received in the past, which is followed by punchy synths and crushing guitars before Laura’s heavy repeats of “Don’t you dare quit on me now” bring the track to and end. Check it out in the video here:
Next is Nostalgia (Acceptance), which begins with spoken vocals that give way to a cool section of powerful vocals and intense screams. That flows into an intriguing fusion of the clean and screamed vocals that flow into a big catchy chorus “It’s the fear of the unknown, But nothing lasts forever, When we’re falling apart we reflect and go back to the times when we’ve felt safe, I’ve seen these signs, While I can handle all this pressure, I’m going out of my mind, Through the smoke we’ve lost the way.” A second chorus drops into chunky guitar chords under choral vocals with screams jumping in before a mellow conclusion to the track. Check it out in the video here:
That’s followed by the intense These 4 Walls (Torment) and the more emo meets post-hardcore feeling This Farewell Is Our Fate (Heartbreak) then a cool little synthy filler track REFLECTION. Then their fantastic debut single Bridges Burnt Lessons Learnt (Betrayal) starts out with spoken vocals over mellow instrumentals. It explodes into a delicious section of huge screams answered by clean retorts, which build up to a big chorus before guest vocals from Fit For A King’s Ryan Tuck O’Leary. The track then hits new levels of heaviness in a dark gothic section before a cool melodic conclusion. Check it out in the video here:
The album concludes in style with Time Can Be So Short (Loss). It begins with a siren sound, light piano and heavy screams before kicking into engaging clean vocals and driving instrumentals, with Laura’s screams jumping in to support. It gradually fades to an end, with the vocals fading out and the siren sound returning, before a pretty poignant conclusion with the beep of a medical flatlining sound. Check it out in the video here:
On the album, Laura said: “It feels incredible as it’s been such a long time in the making! It’s a special moment for us as a band as it’s our debut album and a symbolism of pure resilience. The reception so far has been amazing. We’ve had a cool reception from playing the album at live shows so things couldn’t have gone any better.
“If you haven’t listened to it yet, prepare for an emotional journey from start to finish. It takes you through a mix of emotions and parts of life we all experience. We feel overall it’s really relatable to the listener on a mass scale. We feel the subjects we cover really hit home and really hope it can help so many people.”
The We Are Sovereign sound and the process of writing for their debut album has been shaped by likes of blessthefall, Eyes Set To Kill, A Day To Remember, early Asking Alexandria and Bring Me The Horizon.
And on what inspires them to write music, Laura explained: “Life experiences, life’s emotions, real life events, the past, things that I carry around in my mind everyday, reflecting on life, there’s so many things that influence me. It can be something as simple as having a conversation with a stranger and that can inspire my mind to go off on a magical adventure. Somebody can say one word or I’ll see something happen in the street, I could see something on social media and it’s like a world of inspiration.
“My mind is very wild and, honestly, it never stops. The album was about the journey I had from being in the worst place I’ve ever been in my life to coming out the other side. I just love to write about raw real-life, hard-hitting themes and topics. Everything that I write I’ve lived it, I’ve felt it.”
There’s plenty more to come from We Are Sovereign, with the band working on new material, finalising more music videos, working on some acoustic elements, and lining up gigs through this year.
You can follow We Are Sovereign on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube.
Liked what you heard from We Are Sovereign and want more new music? Check out our playlists GigRadar Core, GigRadar Electro and GigRadar Metal
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