ACTVE CAPTVE – Safe N Sound (2023)
With an experimental flair and eclectic attitude, US-based ACTVE CAPTVE saunters through various genres grabbing bits and bobs to create a genre-defying mound of sound. Basing their music not on the adaptability of styles but rather on the collision and the contradiction which in some way leads to magical sonic flow ACTVE CAPTVE is a trailblazer in obscurity. From rock to punk, rap to classical and some dance grooves, Justin Han (vocals), Jason Heninger and Israel Doria (live guitar and studio production), Carlos Jordan (bass), Henry Gillard (drums) and Cassie Brandi (vocals) celebrate the “intricate mosaic of human existence” with the beautiful insanity of music.
Taken from ACTVE CAPTVE’s debut EP Saudaze, ‘Safe N Sound’ is another fearless exploration of various genres which shouldn’t work on paper but embrace a unique flow of the contradiction in sound. As with previous single ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘Safe N Sound’ is a forceful rush of music whipping through your hair; yet there is a bouncier pop element as with ‘Absolutely (Story of a Girl)’. Then again, ‘Safe N Sound’ is simultaneously unique not falling in line with previous work showcasing the band’s versatility and innovation.
Blending aspects of hard rock, disco, and alternative rock in a kaleidoscopic sonic hurricane, ‘Safe N Sound’ opens with a jovial disco tone getting your toe-tapping. The thing is, just as happy and chilled out as the opening, a progression to heavier rock tones hits first fluttering and then dominating. Pounding drums meld with scorching guitars tossing you this way and that in the hurricane. A bold bass brings up the wind, but it is Hun’s vocals that both embrace and push you away in a brazen shove.
The melody is an overwhelming experience and a lovely one in its contradiction, but the profoundness of ‘Safe N Sound’ is in the lyricism. Penned as an expression of Hun’s emotional journey of grief, the single offers listeners “a glimpse into Justin’s introspective contemplation as he comes to terms with the loss of one of the most important relationships in his life while still moving with the tides of time”.
For me, the raw push-and-pull of his vocals, the chaos of the instrumental whirls, and ultimately letting you down in a swoop of alternative rock is the perfect representation of complex humanity. Intricate and intense, sentimental and sincere, ACTVE CAPTVE capture the delicacy but resilience of the human spirit in ‘Safe N Sound’.
For more from ACTVE CAPTVE, check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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