**TW: Addiction – Take care while reading**
Catharsis hit me like a ton of bricks. Since my first listen I have grooved along, written down great lines to remember, thought a lot, and cried a little. Before I get into the album though, I’d like to start with how I got here.
Curtis, from Brave New World, hit me up to talk about his band and their upcoming release. His brother, Ryan, is another brilliant artist and great friend of mine, and how we happily became connected. Curtis told me about his upcoming release and a little bit about his life. This album was written during and represents different stages of his own addiction. He spoke to me about his own battles and his recovery. (You can hear more of our conversation here if you feel so inclined.)
His job now helps other people and families save lives from this cruel disease. I don’t think I could possibly explain the magnitude of the work he does; I know it doesn’t look like much from that previous sentence. I can only say that someone like Curtis helped save a life that I love so dearly, and who has become such a tremendous success in every way you can look at it. Just typing this makes me tear up, I absolutely can’t say any more without wailing. I just want you to understand how important advocacy is.
Catharsis came out on February 4th.
The first songs on the album were written during a time of active addiction. The tone is very heavy. The music is something both so rock, but that you could also almost float away to. One of the beginning tracks, “Broken Man”, really brought me back to something like an Alice In Chains era. The vocals have so much emotion and have that wonderful 90’s feel about them. That guitarist – hang onto this man for dear life. He brings everything to the next level. The song really has such a classic yet modern feel to it.
We then hit the middle of the release with “The Devil Never Sleeps”. It feels somewhat like a very dark rock opera interlude. Curtis told me that this track was a musical embodiment of an overdose. The instrumentation is truly beautiful and profound, and in the same breath anxiety provoking. I know that sounds like a negative, but it’s not at all meant to be. It makes you FEEL. It’s wonderful.
The end of the album was written during recovery, and there is a notable change in the vibe and emotion. I want to make sure you understand though that it’s not all “sunshine and rainbows”, it’s not “everything is OK now”, and that’s so important because that’s not what recovery looks like. It’s a whole new kind of hurt, but there’s hope. The track “Universe” had a line that lives rent-free in my head – “What I can’t speak, I will try to sing”.
You can check out this beautiful piece by Brave New World now here: