Foxglove by Foxglove

   This may sound backwards to some of you, but to me hardcore has always been one of the most uplifting music genres, and if you don’t feel the same way I think Foxglove by Foxglove can show you what I mean. Taking inspiration from skramz, math rock, and old-school hardcore, the band rockets from end of end of the dynamic spectrum, with jazzy, twinkly, progressive guitar leads giving way to colossal waves of distorted chugging. Within both of these aesthetics, the band consistently uses jazz chords that radiate a shockingly comfortable warmth, allowing this fundamentally heavy music to levitate high into the emotional clouds. The lyrics, delivered almost constantly at an anguished shout, tell the story of triumph over a life of hardship, of the relentless commitment to sustain and improve one’s life and community despite very real and sometimes suffocating opposition. That’s why I’d describe this music as uplifting: from the depths of experience, which the music wholeheartedly acknowledges and validates, we emerge into a headspace of cautious optimism, determined to climb out together or die trying.