Capstan - The Mosaic (2024) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. I. Revolve Explicit
02. Misery Scene Explicit
03. Final Words Explicit
04. Undertow
05. An Open Letter Explicit
06. Hailey
07. Bloom
08. Empire Explicit
09. What You Want Explicit
10. II. Revise
11. Dwell
12. Arrows
13. Compendium
14. Bête Noire Explicit
15. Moloch Explicit
16. What Can I Say?
17. Heart To Heart
18. III. The Mosaic

Here, the band mixes dreamy choruses with buzzy, dramatic guitars, and cinematic sonic flourishes. The song will fill the room with its majestic melodies and singalongs. Misery never sounded quite so good. If Queen were a post-hardcore band, they would have made a song like “Misery Scene.”

To make a mosaic, tiny pieces interlock as a larger picture. In similar fashion, distinct elements coalesce as one in Capstan. The Florida quintet—Anthony Demario [vocals], Joe Mabry [guitar], Harrison Borman [guitar], Andrew “Boz” Bozymowski [bass, vocals], and Scott Fisher [drums]—merge metallic precision with pit-splitting hardcore grooves and the kind of hooks you can’t shake. After amassing tens of millions of streams and earning acclaim from the likes of KERRANG! and many more, the group paint a definitive body of work on their aptly titled 2023 third full-length offering, The Mosaic [Fearless Records].

“The record is about how multifaceted life is,” observes Scott. “There’s good, and there’s bad. Those things make everyone who they are. The album is definitely a mosaic of these experiences and emotions.”

“It’s a bunch of different musical colors,” Joe goes on. “There are a few layers to the concept. We are who we are because of all the great things and shitty things that have happened to us. Those pieces define us.”

“Musically, it’s going to take you through some of the heaviest parts, poppiest parts, and most technical parts we’ve ever done,” Boz promises. “It has our longest song and the most tracks we’ve recorded. It’s an amalgamation of different things. Even though it explores opposite extremes, you find a way out of it with some type of positivity.”

Since 2015, Capstan have progressed with each subsequent move. Following Seasonal Depression [2015] and In The Wake of Our Discord [2018], they made waves with their full-length debut, Restless Heart, Keep Running, in 2019. Among many standouts, “Stars Before The Sun” racked up over 5.1 million Spotify streams followed by “We’ll Always Have Paris” with 2.5 million Spotify streams. 2021 saw them level up again with Separate. Right out of the gate, KERRANG! rated it “4-out-of-5 stars” and proclaimed, “This is Capstan at full strength and it’s a second outing to be proud of.” They toured with the likes of Trash Boat, Doll Skin, Silverstein, and many more.

This time around, the boys opted to self-produce, engineer, and record what would become The Mosaic. At the same time, they collectively absorbed the spirit of a more optimistic season.

“Separate was tough,” Joe reveals. “I was going through a very depressing time for all of us. With the new record, I was moving in a different lyrical direction out of that depressive state. We were collaborating more as a team again. Harrison came in with some of our favorite songs. We also focused on songwriting and honed what we were doing. There’s a lot of growth and maturity.”

“We’re in a good place,” Harrison agrees. “Some of us just became dads; others are going to be dads. We wanted to transmit a brighter message.”

On the first single “Bête Noire,” a chugging distorted groove gives way to airy electronics and emotionally charged verses. The track snaps back into a hypnotic hook before spiraling out into one final breakdown punctuated by pinch harmonics.

“Scott wrote pretty much the whole song, and it was sick to have a fresh perspective,” says Joe. “I came in with the lyrics and melodies. It’s basically a social commentary song. Our world is fucked. Our country’s fucked. You can’t turn on the news without it seeming like the world is ending. A lot of people don’t acknowledge it or won’t agree with it, but that’s what the song is about. I’m not saying I have any answers. It’s something I think about a lot, and it pisses me off.”

Then, there’s “Heart To Heart.” Its shimmering synths bleed right into a head-nodding riff laced with melodic lead guitar. The chorus rings out with a plea, “Tell me what you think about, let’s drop our guard and talk about it.”

“It’s about being there for someone you really care about,” Harrison goes on. “At the time, my significant other was going through a really hard period. She had a lot of health problems. When I was writing, I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible while she went through it. It’s lighthearted, but deep. You can be the shoulder for someone you care about.”

As with any mosaic worth pondering, this one might just leave you uplifted.

“We want to bring you some good energy,” Joe concludes. “The world’s crazy, so the idea is, Show more love in everything you do and be happy’.”

"With a record as far-reaching as The Mosaic, I don’t expect every track to appeal to every listener’s taste. And though I think the album could stand to have some of the fat trimmed off of it, whatever your preferred iteration of the group’s sound is, there are sure to be some tracks here worth your attention. While not every individual piece of The Mosaic may have landed with me, I can at least appreciate the bigger picture of what Capstan has presented with this project and I look forward to seeing how they might evolve their sound next." (boolintunes.com)

Anthony DeMario, vocals
Joe Mabry, guitar
Harrison Bormann, guitar
Andrew “Boz” Bozymowski, bass, vocals
Scott Fisher, drums

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