One of the most promising acts to emerge in the scene in recent years is the Florida quintet, Capstan. Successfully combining the most extreme corners of heavier and emo styled music, Capstan has managed to break down barriers and deliver heart-wrenching, nostalgia-induced performances with their signature style of Progressive Post-Hardcore. With Anthony Demario (vocals), Harrison Bormann (guitar), Andrew “Bozz” Bozymowski (bass, vocals), Joseph Malbry (guitar), and Scott Fisher (drums) rounding out the lineup, Capstan has no shortage of incredible energy and talent. Now they offer listeners their debut full-length album, Restless Heart, Keep Running, on Friday, September 20th via Fearless Records.
Setting up to make a big impact, in early 2019 the band hit the studio with Producer Andrew Wade (A Day to Remember, Wage War) and, after six grueling weeks, Restless Heart, Keep Running was born. Bozymowski (Bozz), said, “It felt like everything came together after all these years, we want to grab listeners with our musicianship, but we don’t want to lose the heart and soul of emo. We live and die by really memorable choruses and want to blow listeners away with emotion. That’s the science of Capstan.”
That ‘science’ is encapsulated in the track, and single, “Fix.” A powerhouse, it tears through your headphones with double bass lines and six-string technicality, before a sweeping and soaring refrain that is bound to get stuck in your head. “Lyrically, it’s actually just smoking weed, getting high, forgetting the troubles of day-to-day life, and escaping a little,“ Bozz explains, “Get your fix however you might do it.”
This sample provided prior to the full-length release, kicking off the 13 track LP is “Abstracted,” setting the stage as the perfect opening act. Among the other opening tracks is “We’ll Always Have Paris,” a melancholy story of love lost and vulnerability with beautiful piano underscores. This is while “I’ll Bury the Hatchet When They Bury You” completely strips down any warm fuzzies you might have previous felt and replaces it with feelings of malice and gut-punching breakdowns.
Moving forward, “Indelible” is gritty, with a sorrowful opening that flows into a fiery blaze of riffs and lyrical smoke. Next, “There Is No Answer” lulls you into lush guitar riffs with subdued verses. This is while “Terminal” and The Agentic State” are guaranteed bangers that keep the momentum going through the middle of the record. Then, “Hideaway” as well as “Nothing Met, Nothing Moved” provide melodic interruptions that highlight their dedication to storytelling and evoking emotions from their listeners.
Tucked toward the back end of the record, the debut single, “Stars Before The Sun,” stands out as a depiction of Capstan’s dedication to re-imaging themselves and delivering music that captures their emotive lyricism and musicianship. The lyrics are full of enigmatic imagery, “Our bodies and bones and built to wither away, Buildings with steel skeletons become ash and decay, Forever learning that the clock with never wait.” Then closing things out “The Love That Remains” is the metaphorical nail on the head, as it wraps everything together. Its breathy verses, acoustic strumming, and saxophone all work to create the core theme and showcase what Capstan is truly capable of.
Overall, Capstan’s debut album works to cement their place in the scene and showcases why they are here to stay. An honest piece of work, they can only continue to grow from here. Emotional and revealing, Cryptic Rock gives Restless Heart, Keep Running 4 out of 5 stars.
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