Arv Confronts Past, Present, and Future Through Nuanced Post-Metal on "Varmint" (Track-By-Track Breakdown)
Varmint is an EP about moving forward, in multiple senses. Thematically, this is in terms of life, but sonically, it’s about not wasting listeners’ time and getting right into the good stuff. Norwegian post-metal crew Arv have put together three songs that blast forward without hesitation, packing sharp and deeply nuanced post-metal into tight song structures that don’t even consider pausing. The band often dips into hardcore for cues on songwriting and delivery, but they balance that upfront brutish delivery with a surprisingly poignant sense of melody and drama.
On Varmint, there’s a curious vein of introspective melody that plays a melancholic counterpart to the raw, bleeding edges of brusque riffs and aggressive percussion. This manifests in surprisingly detailed motifs that twist and unfurl underneath the frigid exterior, revealing an initially concealed vein of emotion in the EP. There’s shades of gothic mystery, blackened sludge, and more lurking in just these three tracks.
Across the three tracks, Arv delivers surprisingly philosophical (compared to the grim-toned album art, anyway) messages about perseverance and the consequences of time. It’s not all positive, but Varmint drives us forward to conclusions we need to face and toward inescapable ends.
Varmint is out today on Vinter Records.The band told us about what inspired each track on the EP – listen and read below.
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Varmint EP is a collection of music that reflects the struggles of an unrested mind. It’s an unpleasant convergence of a destructive past, the fury of now, and the future to come. The EP includes three songs, each with its own unique style and message.
“Fury” is the most chaotic song on the EP, capturing the intensity and emotional turmoil of a raging winter storm in the arctic. Its lyrics express the desire for freedom and breaking free from fear, while embracing new experiences.
“The Past Reforms” is probably the most intricate song on the EP, showcasing our various styles and mixing both old Swedish hardcore with more straightforward and modern styles. It’s about returning to a place from the past and finding it abandoned and deteriorating.
“Abandoned” is one of the first songs we wrote, and it barely made the EP, but we are happy it did. Maybe the «easiest» song in many ways, but it was the hardest to record and getting it to sound and feel the way we wanted. “Abandoned” encourages gratitude and perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances. Despite its reflection of life’s hardships, the Varmint EP conveys a message of resilience and hope.
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