"This album is like being trapped in a tiny room with an unforgiving monster," says Capra guitarist Tyler Harper, and after being exposed to In Transmission, the listener cannot help but agree with him. The debut full-length from the Lafayette, Louisiana quartet, it is comprised of their contorted and unique take on metal, punk, and hardcore, and it makes for thrilling listening from start to finish. "We've all been grinding in various local projects for decades, so in a lot of ways there's this sense of passionate frustration and conflict that comes from us pushing on, despite numerous setbacks, to finally have this record that we've all unknowingly been working towards. I think that comes through in the hard-hitting aggressive riffs and the relatable and impactful lyrics."
Formed in 2016 by Harper and drummer Jeremy Randazzo, who had previously worked together in multiple projects, Harper had just come out of a 90-day stint in rehab and was looking to focus on something new. The initial idea was to create something that would be fresh while still giving listeners a sense of nostalgia for the sounds of the late '90s and early 2000s hardcore and punk scenes. After going through a few line-up changes, they ultimately added bassist Ben Paramore and vocalist Crow Lotus, and everything came together. "This band symbolizes that hard work, determination, passion, and drive can lead to success. We're all very outspoken on our past struggles and intend to help others that feel like they're in a hole so deep that they can't climb out of it," Harper asserts.
In Transmission is literally the culmination of years of hard work, reflecting everything they have been writing and pouring into the band since solidifying the lineup. "We wanted it to be the heaviest and most complete record we could possibly lay down, composed of only the best songs we've written over years of playing together. It's the best set of songs we've ever had, and we're all extremely proud of them, and each other, so we hope it sounds like a total passion project - because it is," says Paramore. At the same time, the band have never overtly pushed themselves when it comes to writing. "We want it to be the best song it can possibly be, but when it feels like we're forcing something, we usually put it on the back burner until it falls together organically," says Paramore. "Occasionally we beat our heads over one track, but when it isn't clicking, we usually have another two in the background that we pull out and work on instead."
Further making the band unique is the staggering, swaggering quality that characterizes many of their riffs, this coming from Harper's take on writing. "I like to write riffs that you can't predict where they're going to go next. If I feel like someone will expect the next part of the song, I'll change it up to something more chaotic or 'pretty.' There's definitely a sway, and I think that ultimately comes from somewhere deep down. It's almost like a sudden minor mood swing within the realm of one primary mood - if that makes any sense at all."
When it comes to lyrics, this falls to vocalist Lotus, who has a lot to say. "I intend to give a voice to the people who are often overlooked. As a woman and as the child of an immigrant, I've always been drawn to the idea that people who come from different hardships deserve to be heard rather than silenced, especially since those very people seem to have some of the most interesting stories to tell." Not drawn to one sole subject area, she covers a lot of territory, discussing her experiences with sleep paralysis and night terrors on "Locust Preacher", one of the first songs she penned with Capra. "For example, the line 'cover the mirrors, I don't want to see' refers to how I used to cover the mirrors in my room before going to sleep every night in fear that I would see some sort of person or creature in them as I began to doze off. The line 'I can't keep holding on, but god help me if I try to let it go' describes my attempts to stay awake all night and my fear of what would happen if I let myself become tired."
The track "Paper Tongues" looks at the tumultuous relationship she had with her mother while growing up, which although thankfully they have moved past, has left a lasting effect. "Those hardships have undeniably taken a huge part in shaping me as a woman, so I knew I would have to put it into writing sooner or later. Struggle with parental relationships is one of those things that no one wants to talk about, but it's so important to be able to communicate it and how it has affected us as adults." Then there is "Red Guillotine", which is about the tribulations women face as a part of their everyday lives. "We're constantly being told how to live in a way that pleases other people with no regard for our own well-being, but are reprimanded when something bad happens to us after ignoring the impulse to preserve our own safety. I want other women to know that I stand with them and that I hear them, and I will do what I can to amplify that voice. This is definitely a call-out song."
Predominantly tracked in December 2019, In Transmission was recorded with Jai Benoit (Golgothan, Father Rust) and then mixed by Taylor Young (Nails, Twitching Tongues). The only exceptions were "Mutt," "Transfiguration," and "Deadbeat Assailant," which were recorded during the pandemic lockdown, and required the members to go into the studio individually to lay down their parts rather than all going in together. The hardest aspect of making the record turned out to be naming it. "We went through a plethora of titles trying to find what we felt was the perfect name," Paramore says. "We've been sitting on the majority of this record since the end of 2019 and had originally hoped to send it out to the masses mid-summer, but thanks to the pandemic, all of that obviously got pushed back.
In a lot of ways, this is a message we've been trying to send out that has essentially been stuck or lost in transmission for a year now, and we're all ready for that message to finally be received. Alternately, we feel like once you start this album, the intense energy and aggression will be transmitted directly into your faces." And now that it's all done and ready to be unleashed on the world, they can start looking forward to what's next. "The second that Covid allows us, we tour. We're eager to play shows again and we're stoked to hop on some festivals and socialize when the world returns to some sort of normalcy, because it's the live shows where we thrive. We're already working on new material, so don't be too surprised to see another EP or maybe a split in between this record and our next full-length. We plan to be extremely active and busy going forward."
