Title: “In Fear, Faith and Flaws”
Artist: “Penetralia”
Genre: Alternative Rock, Post-Hardcore, Metalcore
Label: Liberation/Nomad
Length: 46:53
Released: January/February 2015
Recorded: August – December 2014 – (Clear Lake Recording Studios, Hollywood, California)
Production: Penetralia, Christian Fallon, Bill Owens

“In Fear, Faith and Flaws” is the highly anticipated sophomore record from American post-hardcore quartet ‘Penetralia’. The young band made their first major breakthrough at the beginning of 2014 after signing with the alternative music label Liberation/Nomad Records, a hugely respected label which helped launched the career of Riot! In The Boulevard and helped establish Reported Failure, both became two of the biggest rock bands in recent history and continues to help launch and establish the carees of many other acts in the industry, ‘Penetralia’ being one of their most recent success stories after what has been desribed as a rapid rise through the ranks of the alternative rock genre, in 2014 alone they have released one album which went on to sell over two million copies, one E.P which has sold over one million copies and continues to sell rapidly and have released six singles all featuring in the top ten of the singles chart including a number one single from their debut album (“With Brave Wings, She Flies”) which featured rock goddess Lily.
Amidst all of this unexpected success they have also toured extensively throughout the year, starting with a three month stint on the 2014 Warped Tour throughout the summer and most recently a huge eighty-four date tour in support of ‘Reported Failure’ all of this exessive workload has clearly helped the band not only create a huge fanbase in a very short space of time but also set the band up as one of the most exciting new rock bands in the music industry.

Not content on sitting back and taking in the fruits of their labour though, they have decided to get back to work as quickly as possible, heading to a small recording studio called ‘Clear Lake Studios’ somewhere deep in the hills of Hollywood, California to begin working on the songs that would form their sophomore album. A lot of these songs were written while on tour with ‘Reported Failure’ and ‘Vile Hour’ but the band finally got their opportunity to put the songs through their paces at the studio at the beginning of November. The band have remained relatively quiet since heading into the recording studio, offering a couple of teasers to their fans on their official website and releasing the lead single from the album at the end of November, titled “Stargazing” it showed a vulnerability in the song writing of frontman ‘Koda Espinosa’ and was praised for the emotion running through the song, it proved to be another popular effort from the band, peaking at number three on the singles chart.

But the band continue to work hard in the studio in order to continue their momentum and craft the sort of record that they can be proud of and they opted to bring ‘Bill Owens’ back into the mixing booth with their upcoming album. The musician recorded their debut album at a time when they were still a bunch of little known kids from California, but with success comes new pressures. The band are no longer unknown entities, all eyes of the rock world are on this band and they now have expectations thrust upon them. With this new record, the band are expected to continue to show their ambition and their creativity and are somehow expected to build upon the success of their debut year in the industry, lead singer ‘Koda Espinosa’ recently spoke of those pressures; “I like to think of myself as sort of wildly ambitious. Of course traditionally rock bands do tend to have limitations, it’s always a question of how far can you take it before you lose that thing that made you great in the first place? And that’s something I think all rock bands face. You want to improve upon your past work and be bold and ambitious, but you also want to make sure that those people that loved you in the first place aren’t forgotten about. So going into the record, we’re trying to find that balance between our own crazy ambition and the sound and style that we’ve become known for. I think we’ve managed to do that ... So far.”

“In Fear, Faith and Flaws” the sophomore album from ‘Penetralia’ will officially be released through alternative rock label Liberation/Nomad Records sometime in February 2014, with the exact release date yet to be confirmed by those involved. The following months we’re expected to see the band provide teasers in anticipation for the upcoming album.

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Tracklisting;

1. Fear (Intro) (0:47)
2. The Girl That Gave Herself Away (4:01)
3. When Stars Collide (3:28)
4. Gem (4:32)
5. A Different Kind Of Angel (3:34)
6. Stargazing (5:53)
7. Faith (Interlude) (0:52)
8. Forevermore (2:39)
9. Sleepless Nights Under Dirty Sheets (4:11)
10. Picture Perfect Family (4:07)
11. My Lungs Are Giving Out, Darling I Think I’m Giving In (6:13)
12. Requiem For The Fallen (3:46)
13. Terminal (4:48)
14. Flaws (Outro) (0:42)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS;
“DON’T BE AFRAID TO STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN, EVEN IF IT MEANS STANDING ALONE”

Credits;

Produced by Penetralia, Bill Owens & Christian Fallon
Engineered by Christian Fallon
Mixed by Bill Owens
Mastered by Christian Fallon
Artwork by Bill Owens
Recorded at Clear View Recording Studios, Hollywood, California

The Band;

Koda Espinosa - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, lyrics, composition, production
Beau Nero - lead guitar, composition, production
Gunner Lee - bass guitar, backing vocals, composition, production
Jonah Espinosa - drums, percussion, composition, production

Thanks;

“Well, here we are again. The crazy journey continues to get more and more insane as the days, weeks and months pass by and this year has truly been a memorable one for the four of us. The album, E.P, the singles and tours, playing in front of bigger audiences each and every single night, it just drives us to continue to push ourselves as far as we possibly can and be the very best band that we can be. We hope that you haven’t all grown tired of us already because we have so much more left to give and we’re planning on doing this sh*t for many many years, it’s never been easy but the reward is always worth the sacrifice and we’re sorry that we’re away from home so much but we’re doing something that we truly believe in and love and the support that we receive from so many people in our lives is outstanding, so we’d like to thank;

Our Families; “You guys do not have it easy, but just know that the time that we’re millions of miles away from home you’re never too far from our minds. We always keep a part of you with us whereever we go and we can say undeniably that we would not be in this position if it wasn’t for your guidance and support over the years. The incredible levels of joy that we’ve had this year has not been without it’s sadness, this year we lost two people very dear to us but they aren’t ever forgotton (Alesana, Edouard), we also welcomed many additons to our families too and even though they’re a little too young to understand right now, they’ll one day know that when we’re playing in front of these crazy passionate crowds, it’s all for them.”

Our Friends; “Once again, for all the times that we’re travelling, each and every one of you are in our thoughts. You all support us with so much passion and you have done ever since the first time we picked up instruments and attempted to make sense of all the conflicting sh*t that was in our hearts, hell a bunch of you have even worked your asses off trying to help the band get noticed in the first place. So for that we thank you, extra love to Jerad, Casey and Cara for the unstoppable enthusiasm that you’ve shown to four nobodies from San Diego, we wouldn’t be here right now without your passion.”

Liberation/Nomad Records; “Again, a shout out to the label for giving us the opportunity to make music and travel the world and giving us the freedom to do everything the way that we want to do it. Not once have we ever been treated like money making products for a corporation and we thank you for the way that you do things.”

Our Fans; “You guys are responsible for the year that we have had. Whether you’ve been to the gigs, heading out to the venues in order to check out the support band, you never once made us feel like a support band. We may write and perform the songs, but you’re all the ones that help make them come alive and we will love you forever.”

Also; “Sara Daniels, Bill Owens, Christian Fallon, Cara Zayn, Reported Failure, Vile Hour, Vans Warped Tour, Alternative Press, Kerrang Magazine, Rock Sound.”

Track 4) - “Gem” (4:32)

With the fourth track from the album, ‘Penetralia’ seem to have finally found their first real moment from the record. It seems like all of the elements of what has made the band so popular have all came together in this song. And those fans can rest rather easily now because with this track, it feels like things are starting to finally pick up. As the song begins, you can hear the faint mutterings of the guys in the studio for a couple of seconds before the sound of an unplugged lead guitar being strummed sets it up, you can hear the reverb and the band just enleash themselves into action, with all primary instruments in full force in order to set up the song which almost instantly feels like it’s gonna be a special one.

Koda’s voice booms passionately over the sound of the instruments as he sings the opening lyrics, “She stares at the walls, regretting her choices/When she closes her eyes all she hears are familiar voices/She looks at her wrists, no scars in sight/But wonders if she’ll make it through the night.” it becomes clear that this is a song for their audience, for their current fanbase, it’s obviously tailor-made for their current fans both from the instrumentals to the lyrics and it’s another that will no doubt continue the adoration that their fans seem to give the band and in particular their lead singer with it’s lyrics drenched in dramatic and painful beauty, it’s obvious that Koda’s niche as a songwriter is singing about girls and emotional struggle and turmoil and he does it to the point where he’s become a messianic figure to his fans. But the highest point of the song comes when he unleashes the other side to his vocal, the band keep their screaming to a minimum but they try to do it at the right time with the right words and they manage to achieve that once more as their frontman passionately screams out about what this girl means to him, “She’s my rhinestone and she’s my diamond/She’s my snowflake and she’s my spark/She’s my hero, she’s my everything/She’s forever in my heart.” and with that they’ve now managed to up their game to the very next level, let’s hope the album continues upwards from here.

Lyrics

“She stares at the walls, regretting her choices
When she closes her eyes all she hears are familiar voices
She looks at her wrists, no scars in sight
But wonders if she’ll make it through the night
She holds a pillow to her head
And lets her tears fall
She regrets not letting her heart decide
As she now realizes that she could have had it all
Everything she wanted
In arms reach
But she just turned away

It’s hard standing back and tryin to be happy
When all that I wanted was in front of me
It’s hard knowing that I’ve came in second place again
And all those dreams failed to come true
She confessed that she feels stronger about me than him
But I can’t understand how I still didn’t win
But I carry on
Because without her I’m gone
I know this is not the end
But I guess I’ll only ever just be her friend

She’s my rhinestone and she’s my diamond
She’s my snowflake and she’s my spark
She’s my hero, she’s my everything
She’s forever in my heart

I can see that she’s a f*cking gem
This girl means the whole god damned world to me
She’s my entire universe
For as long she’s breathing then f*ck it, I ain’t ever leaving

I know you better than you know yourself
And I’m there for you
When there’s nobody else
I feel your pain
Whenever you’re sad
And I can’t ever just walk away
Because some people feel more than they say
Well, did you know that I’ve been dying every single day
Just praying that you’ll say you’re okay

She’s my rhinestone and she’s my diamond,
She’s my snowflake and she’s my spark
She’s my hero, she’s my everything
She’s forever in my heart

I can see that she’s a f*cking gem
This girl means the whole god damned world to me
She’s my entire universe
For as long she’s breathing then f*ck it, I ain’t ever leaving”

Track 6) - “Stargazing”

“Stargazing” is the sixth official single released from the American post-hardcore quartet ‘Penetralia’ since their debut at the beginning of 2014, proving a highly productive year from the up and coming band. It is the first single to be taken from their upcoming 2015 sophomore album ‘In Fear, Faith and Flaws’ which is already being highly anticipated within the alternative rock community. Their latest offering follows on from previous single ‘Requiem For The Fallen’ which continued their succesfull chart run, unexpectedly peaking at number #4. That previous single was lifted from their recent E.P ‘Crimson Blood’ which again continued to show ‘Penetralia’s’ rapid growth since breaking into the industry, that E.P charting at number #1 in the aftermath of a world tour in support of Reported Failure. So as 2014 begins to draw to a close, Penetralia are looking towards the next chapter of their fast-rising career and with a sophomore record expected early in the new year, they begin the anticipation with their first taster of what is to come, with their latest track ‘Stargazing’.

The band had been working on songs together while embarking on a world tour and the majority of their next record is expected to be made up of songs crafted while on the road. They have recently returned home to California and have already begun working on recording these songs for the album, ‘Stargazing’ being a track that was recorded partly while on tour and finished upon returning to their home city. The song was recorded at Clear Lake Recording Studios on the outskirts of Hollywood, California, the same place they recorded songs from their most recent E.P. At the helm of these recordings is producer ‘Bill Owens’ whom worked with the band on their debut record and was swiftly lined-up to return to the production booth second time around. Bass guitarist Gunner Lee recently mentioned the influence that Owens has had on the band, “The part that Bill has played in our career so far has been immense, he’s supported the band from the first time he heard us in his studios in London and he’s been the most perfect sounding-board that we could have asked for, because he calls us out if we come up with a sh*tty idea and for new bands with hype or whatever you wanna call it, everybody around you tends to just encourage you to do everything you can, the more sh*t you throw the more likely something is likely to stick and that’s not the attitude that we want from people that are around us. We want people who encourage the very highest quality of work and have no problems telling you when you’re not hitting that level and that’s what Bill does with us, he’s been a god-send for us.”

The track clocks in at just under six minutes in length, which gives way to a couple of important instrumental showcases and helps show the full ability of the band as a whole rather than just the voice and lyrics. The track has yet to have been played live by the band but is expected to become one of the mainstays of their live show for years to come. It was recorded at Clear Lake Studios in Hollywood between October and November 2014 with production from the entire band alongside Bill Owens. The track will be distributed by ‘Liberation/Nomad Records’ as a CD Single and Digital Download as well as being made available to Airplay from today (Sat, 22 November) and will be the final track released from ‘Penetralia’ in their breakthrough year in the music industry.

Songwriters Comments

“I’m one of the people in the crowd that we see at every show, I’m just one of those young adults that simultanously have the biggest dreams in their heart but also happens to be a little lost and is just attempting to navigate their way through the mine-fields that is life. The songs that I write are inspired by all sorts of moments in my life, these songs are an extension of either moments that have happened to me and those that I love or feelings that I’ve felt along the way. At the age of twenty-two I feel like I have enough material to draw on for a lifetime of songs and I hope to get the opportunity to showcase as much as possible because putting a song out on a record isn’t an attempt at a career or an opportunity to make money, that’s not what it’s about and it’s not why we do this. We put these songs out there because we connect with them in some way and we hope that our fans can connect with them in a similar way, we hope that our fans can relate to the emotion and if we’re lucky we’ll help them understand something a little better. Just like bands did for me when I was growing up and feeling a little lost.
When listening to songs there was always a connection with the music, songs spoke of my own feelings. ‘Stay Together for the Kids’ by blink-182 while dealing with the sadness of my parents being on the verge of a complete collapse was the soundtrack to a few rough years. ‘Ohio is for Lovers’ by Hawthorn Heights helped me realise that I’m not the only one feeling the pain that I’m feeling and that somehow I’ll make it alright. Listening to ‘It’s Not a Fashion Statement’ by My Chemical Romance coupled with the pain of hear my little brother ask why I have scares on my wrist was enough for me to find the power to move on from that and pull through.

The point is that music and family/friends are the two most powerful tools in our lives, the things that can give us the strengths to be who we want to be and to give us the power to get through our difficult times no matter how difficult. That is the aim whan I’m writing songs and ‘Stargazing’ came from the thoughts of the power music and love can have. We all have fear of losing the ones that we love, we fall in love so passionately sometimes that it hurts us more than heals us. This song doesn’t give people the answers, but hopefully it lets them know that what they’re going through is perfectly normal and that somebody does understand.”
- Koda Espinosa

Review

Since arriving in the industry at the very beginning of 2014, ‘Penetralia’ have set their sights high and continued to aim towards their own lofty ambition. Little did we know at the time that this group of young California natives would grab the blazing torch once held by pop-punk titans ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’ and run furiously with it, but as 2014 draws towards a close we are now Riot-less and we’re looking at a new band that are aiming for world domination. Of course ‘Penetralia’ are quite far from Riot! In terms of music and style, they don’t have the mainstream cross-over appeal that Riot! Had and they never will unless they change this drastically, their lead singer has a penchant for writing dark gothic novella’s that the rest of the band manage to grind down into three to four minute tracks bursting with emotion and pain but also littered with a heartwrenching amount of romance and beauty, all of which is helmed by lead singer ‘Koda Espinosa’, a man who has his feet firmly on the ground but his head way up in the clouds, you get the feeling that he’s just as ambitious as the seventeen year-old Amy Meyer was when Riot! Erupted into the music scene but in their genre, they have limitations.

There is only so far the band will be able to go without compromising who they are, unlike other bands they will lose something if they stretch too far into unfamiliar territory but with their latest effort, it seems like their just hell-bent on perfecting what they do and their brand new single ‘Stargzing’ proves this. The song opens with a static before we head a guitar being plugged into an amplifier, followed immediately by a powerful drum beat it opens the scene for Koda to sing out in that beautifully powerful high-pitched voice, “Darling, there’s nothing in this world that’s gonna make me run/Cause they say that you’re my princess of gold and maybe I’m just the reckelss one” as opening lyrics go, this could be very much another pop song, but the way that the music and vocals are delivered means that the band veer away from that predicament, it’s a beautiful opening laced with honesty and emotion and it’s instantly clear that this is a love song, of course with a twist.
There’s an inclusion of a piano that adds a little melody to the racous guitar work from both Gunner Less and Beau Nero, the drums by younger brother Jonah keep the power in view and as the opening verse closes out, the passion in Koda’s vocals is as clear as ever as he queries, “Maybe this is destiny/Destiny!” Inspiration from bands like ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ and ‘Asking Alexandria’ are evident as the first pre-chorus arrives and Koda belows out in a more deeper voice and aggressive voice, “What if I can’t let you go?/I’ll carve your name into my arm/Until I feel this pain no/There’s nothing good about building up walls/I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole” and it’s a move that bands looking for cross-over appeal would avoid but it’s proof that ‘Penetralia’ embrace this style of music and understand that their fanbase love this sort of music and if they’re to get other fans into their music, they’re gonna do it in their own style.

So with Riot! Leaving, there is a gap in the industry for a new band to grab that spot, there are plenty of bands around that have that opportunity, but it means that none of them can rest easily. It’s about following up good momentum as often as possible, and for a 12 month period, ‘Penetralia’ are the ones that have had a Riot!-like productivity, six singles, a chart-topping debut album, a chart-topping E.P, A highly anticipated sophomore album and support slots on two major tours. This isn’t just a band looking for a brief moment of glory, this is a band that are swinging for the fences and it looks like they’re here to stay.

Lyrics

“Darling, there’s nothing in this world that’s gonna make me run
Cause they say that you’re my princess of gold and maybe I’m just the reckless one
But the way that you stand in the doorway with your hand upon your hips
Just makes my heart yearn for another taste of your lips
And they claim that you should see the bad things
The cuts and bruises on my wrists
But you look beyond my mistakes and see
That there’s so much more to me
Maybe this is destiny
Destiny!

What if I can’t let you go?
I’ll carve your name into my arm
Until I feel this pain no more
There’s nothing good about building up walls
I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole

Nobody prays for the broken hearted
Gives a second thought for the faith departed
Maybe you should know that of all the souls in all of the world
You’re the only one that I ever wanted to call my girl
So if they take you away from me
I’ll drop to my knees
And scream
Bring her back to me!

I’ll find myself stargazing
Looking up at twinkling lights in the sky
I’ll find myself stargazing
Knowing I’ll miss you until the day that I die
And I’ll stare at the the neon blue speckles painted in the night
Maybe if you’re looking down on me
You’ll make sure that I’ll be alright
That I’ll be alright
Will I ever truly be alright?

What if I can’t let you go?
I’ll carve your name into my arm
Until I feel this pain no more
There’s nothing good about building up walls
I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole

Nobody prays for the broken hearted
Gives a second thought for the faith departed
Maybe you should know that of all the souls in all of the world
You’re the only one that I ever wanted to call my girl
So if they take you away from me
I’ll drop to my knees
And scream
Bring her back to me!

What if I can’t let you go?
I’ll carve your name into my arm
Until I feel this pain no more
There’s nothing good about building up walls
I’d rather die in tragedy than live without you in this hole”

Track 12) - “Requiem For The Fallen”

“Requiem For The Fallen” is the fifth single from the American post-hardcore band ‘Penetralia’, it spells the end of the release cycle for their debut album ‘With Brave Wings’ as it’s their first single to not be taken from that record and marks the beginning of the next chapter for the growingly popular rock band. The track will be the epicentre of their first ever E.P release which is expected to be released on October 31, 2014 and is rumoured to have been written and recorded specifically with the thoughts of it being released on Halloween. The E.P was recently announced by led singer ‘Koda Espinosa’ on the bands official website, where he announced the plans to release the E.P on Halloween and that it’s title will be called “Crimson Blood” which is reported to be taken from one of the other tracks set to be on the extended play release. The frontman also previewed a snippet of the songs lyrics on the blog post.
It’s also worth noting that their are rumours that the track will also serve as the lead-off single from their upcoming sophomore record, although unconfirmed by the band themselves, there appears to be reason to believing that this track will appear on their sophomore record which is expected to be released at the beginning of 2015, perhaps with a January release slated for the record.

The band have been writing songs in preparation for their E.P and Album while being on a breathtaking world tour with Reported Failure and Vile Hour. During the tour it’s been noted that the band have found inspiration from the places that they’ve visited while on the tour, as well as taking inspiration by both the work and live performances of Reported Failure and Vile Hour while travelling with both bands. During what little free time the band have been afforded they have managed to lock down studio time to record a couple of songs for their E.P, while the recording sessions for the next full length album will be held-off until the end of the tour. But the band have managed to get enough time to record the five song E.P and have everything ready for it’s October release. The songs were mostly recorded at Clear Lake Recording Studios during a four show run in California at the beginning of September, the extended stay in California gave the band the opportunity to get back to their home town and spend time working on their latest efforts.

The tracks lasts three minutes and forty-six seconds and is one of the shorter songs recorded by the band, the song was produced by the band entirely on their own, also for the first time without a producer, the song as well as others from the E.P are very much uncomplicated, it was a case of the band playing the songs live in studio a couple of times and choosing which performance was delivered better, with occasional tweaks here and there. The track is released on September 20, 2014 as a CD Single, Digital Download and will be available for Weekly Airplay. It will also be distributed by Liberation/Nomad Records.

Alternative Press Review

“Penetralia are a band that are continually growing and it’s happening at a much more rapid pace than any would have really predicated at the beginning of the year. We even highlighted them as the new band worth watching in 2014 but even we couldn’t have predicated the epic rise that they’ve made. For a band to come from nowhere to really establish themselves in the industry in less than a year is something worth noticing and although their genre doesn’t focus on glory and accolades it’s unavoidable with ‘Penetralia’, the debut record went to number #1 and all four singles have broken into the top 10 of the singles charts, their most recent effort ‘With Brave Wings, She Flies’ which features Lily Abbot went in at number 1, proving that the band although not instantly mainstream can stand alongside any in the industry at the moment and it’s a great moment when the re-ignited genre that we’re dubbing ‘Scenecore’ is back on form.

It’s a rather heavier track than previous singles as they continue to develop and explore all corners of their post-hardcore genre that they’re part of. The inclusions of a couple of screamed verses add to the power and velocity of the track and even during the opening verse and the sung parts during they still manage to keep a certain power, which is provided by the band, more notably lead guitarist Beau Nero and drummer Jonah Espinosa, their combination helps to add to the strength of the song during it’s softer moments and they accentuate the lyrics of the song and help give Koda a platform to deliver his vocals which are always the highlight of the bands songs. But he shows the other side to his vocal range as he screams out in passion the refrain of “They started a fire! They started a war!” and continues it for the verse, the track as a whole isn’t one that you would say is ground breaking and certainly isn’t going to change the world, but it is one that just adds to the growing intrigue around the band and shows a versatility with the band. It’s a strong effort, perhaps not quite on level par with previous singles, but it’s gonna please current fans as well as possibly gaining new ones which is always the minimum outcome that you’d want as a new band that are attempting to establish a fanbase.”

Lyrics

“Come one, come all, gather around
Victims be lost.
Culprits never to be found
They take their shots from their highest of heights
We feel the wounds in the darkest of nights
And one day it’ll all be over
We will be gone

They started a fire! They started a war!
They brought the weapons! We fell to the floor!
We stood our ground! We took the shots!
We remained proud! We’re everything that they’re not!
This is a requiem for the fallen!
We stood tall until the end
This is a requiem for the fallen!
We fell together!
We’ll live on forever!
Until the end!

So let them march towards us
In love and war, all is fair
We will stand one by one
With our flags raised high into the air
They can try to tear us apart
Sticks and stones may break bones
But only words can break hearts

Maybe you can tell from the look in our eyes
That we’ll stand our ground
In this wasteland of lies
And we’ll stand stronger together as one
We’ll be the warriors
We’ll march on

They started a fire! They started a war!
They brought the weapons! We fell to the floor!
We stood our ground! We took the shots!
We remained proud! We’re everything that they’re not!
This is a requiem for the fallen!
We stood tall until the end
This is a requiem for the fallen!
We fell together!
We’ll live on forever!
Until the end!”