Sørrøwstate- Same old pain review
- ethanjcooke1
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Adelaide five piece, Sørrøwstate, are not resting on their laurels. Following up April’s release of My Own Grave, they’re back with new single, Same Old Pain. Revisiting some heavy themes, with heavier breakdowns to accompany. Get ready to hurt.
SørrØwstate barely give you time to sit down before they’ve kicked you in the chest at the start of this song. With the short solo guitar riff, finishing with a stutter, the jump off will catch you off guard if you’re not paying attention. Where Sørrøwstate’s last release, My Own Grave, spent time building an expansive sound and letting things build up slowly, Same Old Pain immediately hits with a wall of sound. Fast, loud, furious.
Shane Burford’s lyrical work on this single is gut wrenching. SØrrØwstate have previously battled topics of mental health in their other singles and Same Old Pain is no exception. Self-image and self-worth are in the forefront here. Lines like ‘Make myself smaller so the room feels clear’ and ‘I sabotage all that I built just to prove I never deserved it’ are just some examples of the raw and unafraid lyrical style SØrrØwstate are building themselves on. It’s sick to hear the discussion on mental health, especially in this context, in this scene, and from a band who are still establishing themselves like SØrrØwstate are. Lyrically, Same Old Pain, is extremely validating. self-image and self-worth issues can be extremely isolating, and to feel like I’m not the only one who goes through this alleviates that feeling of going through something completely alone.
‘I don’t need saving, I need to disappear, I’m a weight on everyone I love, I don’t belong here’
The chorus’ clean vocal hook doubled up with the unclean drive, like a call and response, just highlights how freaking talented Burford is vocally. To be able to switch up the clean and unclean so smoothly is some crazy work. It’s giving that mid-2000’s post-hardcore anthemic chorus sound, think Senses Fail or UnderØath, just much much heavier from the band behind the vocals. I fucking love this chorus. I heard that chorus hook once and was immediately sold on this track.
Throughout, the guitar sound in this track perfectly itches the scratch. The contrast between the low and high ends is done so well that it is worth noting. The low-end driving force vs the high-end accents just works so nicely. I know that this isn’t anything groundbreaking and has been done plenty in the past, but SØrrØwstate’s execution is still satisfying. the way that it’s layered and produced feels so well suited to what the vocals need. The orchestrated chaos, the pace, the guitar breaks to allow just vocals and drums, makes Same Old Pain a release of note.
The verses that build up to the first chorus gradually increase the pace, but once the first chorus ends the breaks get thrown on. Using a ticking clock post-chorus to slow the pace down and to bring back the heavy after the chorus lifted the foot off the pedal. Because so much happens in the front two thirds of the song, the breakdown feels like it comes incredibly late in the day, but the breakdown outro is worth the wait. The song closes out with one last punch in the chest. ‘Same old pain, same dead weight, they’d all be better without me.’ Just a reminder of how strong this song is lyrically.
The fact that this is only SØrrØwstate’s fourth single (if you don’t count the lo-fi mix of My Own Grave) makes this release even more impressive. SØrrØwstate are building momentum. Still teasing an EP release, I know I’m not the only one who’s excited for that to come. Now is the perfect time to jump on the Sørrøwstate bandwagon, growing, pushing, and clearly very hungry.
With the heavy lyrical content, it’s worth mentioning how important it is to take care of your own mental health, and the mental health of those in your life. Check in with your friends and your family. Check in with yourself. You might just save a life. There’s are resources and there is help available.
lifeline - 13 11 14
beyond blue - 1300 22 4636
suicide call back service - 1300 659 467
13yarn - 13 92 76
SØrrØwstate are-
Shane Burford - Vocals
Austin Zrim - Guitar
Daniel Stocco - Guitar
Connor Husker - Bass
Dylan Deroussent - Drums
Want more? You can find Same Old pain along with all of SØrrØwstate's other releases on their Spotify or their apple music. you can also see their instagram and their facebook.
