Drops of Heart Stargazers

The New Drops of Heart Song "Escapist" Discards Melodeath Complacency

It takes a certain type of finesse to mine the depths of one’s influences — to melt down the riches found there and reforge them into a new creation that feels at once familiar yet exciting and original. The concept of “familiar but new” is not itself novel — it’s a driving force in the culinary world and a significant factor behind the success of many chefs and concepts. As it turns out, it also works for melodic death metal. To embrace the comfortable, to envelop the intimate and known, and to revitalize it through fresh eyes is its own special vein of creativity, one which Drops of Heart fully embody on their second full-length Stargazers.

Rip through their new track “Escapist” with our exclusive premiere below.

“Escapist” is the fourth track of 12 on Stargazers and finds the band in one of their more restrained and reflective moods. The song is not without a healthy seasoning of the dizzying technical flourishes that permeate the record, though, many of which have a tendency to fly right on by unless actively listened for. Drops of Heart excels at low-key slipping these embellishments into their engaging compositions, becoming catchy almost to a fault (if catchiness could ever be a fault in any conceivable way). Noticing a quick sweep-picking run or double-kick trill as it happens is an ongoing source of joy while listening.

A poignant mid-tempo song, “Escapist” shifts between full-steam verses and laid-back choruses dripping with lush melodies: “[Escapist is] one of the most melancholic songs of the album, besides its high speed and powerful energy,” the band commented in a shared statement. This gloominess, untethered from the typical pacing that accompanies it, allows the song to capture a specific type of despair in unusual clarity. “This song is about people who lose touch with reality in the pursuit of [their] dreams. [It’s] about some kind of a method of flight from life’s problems, and how sad it would be.”

Stargazers releases July 22nd. Preorders are available on Bandcamp.

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