I always have a soft spot for bands in heavy genres doing softer styles and tracks, even if it's not outright acoustic. There's something special about the way bands that usually embody a lot of aggression and intensity write songs that are more emotional and, dare I say, human, that feels so much more authentic. Break was my first impression of Classic Jack, and although I found out after that they have a much rougher, harder musical style than this, this song still felt like a Classic Jack song.
The acoustic type beat intro of the song gives a lot of personality to this song. It feels almost like a stripped version, having only guitar and vocals for the entirety of the first verse, but the energy and vibe is set very well nonetheless. Kohl's cleans have that tinge of tiredness that really sells the idea of a man in the aftermath of a bad breakup full of sadness and anger, the latter of which he brings out really strongly with his screams in the second chorus. I love that they let the verse play out longer than most verses do, letting the calm before the storm sit for longer and immerse the listener properly.
When the rest of the instruments come in for the second chorus, there's an explosion of energy and emotion that makes you want to sing along (or scream along). Uncleans layered onto the cleans more than doubles the amount of anger and emotion exhibited with those lines, and I love how some lines get echoed by the uncleans, it fills in the space so well and adds so much dynamic to the chorus. The guitar solo riff at the end of the choruses seal the deal of delivering the woeful sound of this song.
I adore the simplicity in this track, it doesn't give off a pop song feel with it's structure but it definitely isn't overwhelming like some metalcore tracks are. You can tell that this song was made to be the soft song on the heavy tracklist, but it definitely still hits hard, more emotionally than musically. It's amazing how they can do so much with so little, and although I have no doubt they're talented musicians, they don't have to do anything fancy in this song for it to be so good.
Even though the song is pretty clearly about a breakup, it doesn't sound like a heartbreak song. There's no hint of regret or desperation, only a declaration of anger and acknowledgement of being broken. Lines like "you should've stayed here to share the blame" and "wish I could forget all this pain you put me through" paint one side of the story, and lines like "but I'm the goddamn same, and there's no difference if I'm with or without you" seem to paint the other. This song seems to be for the people in relationships that never would've worked out, the ones where both sides lose, and songs like this don't come by very often. It's no wonder that this is their most popular song to date, both for it's musicianship and it's meaning.
I had this song on repeat a lot when I was in a dark time and it had a very cathartic feel to it which helped me through those times. Chock full of sentiment, I can't help but love this song, even if I don't spin it that much these days. This one goes down in history as a personal favourite of mine from a particular era of my life.
Rating: 5/5
"Can You Feel Anything" Album Cover