State of You – On a Knife’s Edge (EP)
Release Date: 24th January 2025
Label: Silent Cult
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Genre: Hardcore, Punk, Alternative.
FFO: Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats, Beartooth.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
State of You is back with their second EP, On a Knife’s Edge, releasing on January 24th via Silent Cult. It’s a worthy successor to their self-titled debut EP from 2022, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for a full-length album right about now. Regardless, I’m not at all disappointed by the band’s latest output, as is expected with musicians from Polar and Hildamay on board. Featuring Ollie Jeffs and Max O’Neil on guitars, Rick Keenan on bass, Nick Jones on drums, and vocals by Steve Sitkowski, On a Knife’s Edge has a similar feel to their previous work, but with the melody at the forefront.
The first track is Cut the Rope, and it’s one of my favorites. That intro with the distorted guitars and drums transported me straight back to the alternative music of my youth. Around the 43-second mark, the pace abruptly picks up and the rhythm drives us through the verse. Since the faster it is, the more I tend to like it, I’m 100% on board. There’s a slight drop in tempo in the build-up to the chorus, which heightens the intensity when the chorus kicks in for real. It’s melodic without being saccharine, and it’s heavy without trying too hard. Sitkowski’s aggressive vocals are the perfect complement to the narrative about the stress of living in modern times.
The first time I heard To the Core, I immediately thought of “The Remedy” by Polaris. Not that this is a bad thing. It’s a great song, but I was starting to think we were going a little more metalcore and a little less hardcore. However, the abrasive yelled/screamed vocals and the lack of a cleans-only chorus kept it from tipping too far into metalcore country. Speaking of the chorus, I love how they’ve layered the yells over the cleans. Even better, those cleans give off definitive Graham-Coxon-backing-Damon-Albarn-in-90s-Blur vibes. There’s no slack in the guitars here, and the rhythm keeps everything moving like a well-oiled machine.
Under the Wire goes off on a slightly different course. It starts a little slower than the previous tracks and remains at a more subdued pace throughout. However, it still has plenty of bite. The wailing leads of the chorus play off the droning of the clean backing vocals, and layering the melody with Sitkowski’s screams keeps things interesting. Part of a verse is more spoken than yelled, adding some additional texture to the vocal lines. The dynamics feel very intentional here, punctuating the darker subject matter.
I was pleased to hear more of the screaming vocals over the melodic vocal lines in Double Barrelled. That radio-friendly chorus is catchy as all get out, but it’s so upbeat that the screams seem like an odd juxtaposition. It has some solid rock and roll hooks, but I’m also picking up on a little more of the punk stylings here. Yet somehow, it’s almost as if they’ve been funneled through the Beartooth influence (who have also been somewhat influenced by punk themselves).
Two Of a Kind has a great rock and roll groove right from the start. Remember when Foo Fighters used to be good? Like 1995-1997ish? That’s the energy these guys are channeling here. The driving rhythm is super tight, the guitars are lively, and the tension and release of the dynamics is spot on. The melodies are uncomplicated, but the composition is all the better for it. The verses are more yelled for the most part, but there’s plenty of hardcore hostility fueling the vocals. When Sitkowski screams, “All I have left is rage,” you really believe it.
Which Way the Water Flows just might be the best track on the album. It immediately goes right for the throat with those crunchy riffs, and the pounding rhythm doesn’t let up even when the tempo changes. The lead-up to the chorus is more yelling than screaming, drawing greater attention to the lyrical themes about complicated relationships with alcohol. Sitkowski is on fire here, injecting his vocals with equal parts fury and frustration. He also shows a bit more of his range in this track. The moving leads in the chorus are beautifully melodic but they pack one heck of a punch. The gorgeous outro with just guitars sets the right reflective tone to close both the track and the EP.
State of You has a sort of garage rock meets hardcore feel that’s really appealing. Overall, On a Knife’s Edge is fast-paced, catchy, and consistent from start to finish. It’s a little more cohesive than the previous EP, and it seems a little tighter, no doubt because the band has been playing together longer. On a Knife’s Edge doesn’t give off that temporary impression you often get when members of different bands come together to create something new. State of You has proven the band is more than the sum of its parts, and I’m looking forward to hearing where they take things next.
(4 / 5)
