Over time, creativity blossoms. Encouraged by experience and doused in inspiration, art reaches its full potential much like a flower in bloom. Eat Your Heart Out strive for the same heights on their full-length debut, Florescence [Fearless Records]. The Newcastle, Australia quintet—Caitlin Henry [vocals], Andrew Anderson [guitar], Will Moore [guitar], Dom Cant [bass], and Jake Cronin [drums]—progress personally and creatively over the course of eleven tracks artfully and articulately steeped in grunge realism, emo intimacy, punk panache, and pop ambition.
Florescence speaks directly to this pronounced growth for the musicians.
“It ties back into the process of flowering,” says Caitlin. “Over the last year, I’ve learned how to open up, express my emotions, and feel more as a person rather than pushing all of that way. For the first time, I feel like I had something I wanted to say. It was important and personal to get all of those thoughts and experiences out there. I’m finally talking about the feelings I have and my experiences becoming an adult woman. It’s a glimpse into my journal from the last year.”
That year would be a whirlwind, to say the least.
Acclaimed by everyone from Alternative Press to Rock Sound, the group’s irresistible energy reverberated throughout the international scene. In between tours with the likes of Simple Plan and Real Friends, the group dropped the fan favourite Mind Games EP in 2017. As the project racked up over 1 million total Spotify streams, the five-piece regularly averaged over 100K monthly listeners on Spotify and claimed real estate on popular playlists such as Pop Punk’s Not Dead and Rock Out., to name a few.
During late 2018, they rented an Airbnb and stayed in Los Angeles through the holidays in order to record what would become Florescence. Once again joined by Mind Games producer Zach Tuch, the album marked a series of firsts. For the first time, Caitlin took the lead on the lyrics and also penned all of the lyrics in the studio.
As a result, it taps into unfiltered urgency and inimitable immediacy.
“The songs feel really fresh and relevant, because I was writing about things I was experiencing,” she goes on. “Everything started in my journal. Sonically, we tried to narrow down the sounds we utilized on Mind Games. It’s more mature and dynamic. There are more ups and downs. We really explored.”
Another first, they welcomed Patrick Miranda of Movements into the fold as a co-writer and vocal producer. Following his feature on “Conscience,” they expanded the initial Mind Games chemistry together. His presence “brought a lot of confidence,” according to Caitlin.
This confidence now shines through the first single “Carousel.” With its circular riff and hypnotically hummable hook, the track introduced the record and racked up over 100K Spotify streams in under a month. Meanwhile, the follow-up “Spinning” jumps from airy, clean verses into a chantable chorus, “Your suffering…has got me spinning…like leaves in the breeze…it always leaves me dizzy.”
On the other end of the spectrum, “Closer to the Sun” hinges on thick bass and distorted grit before culminating on a towering refrain punctuated by a nimble guitar melody and wild scream. Its empowering and female-positive message rises to the forefront.
“I had a vision of a flower trying to reach above the rest of the flowers to get closer to the sun,” explains Caitlin. “It represented this idea of wanting something more—even though others around you don’t understand why you try to get closer to the sun. In Australia, we call it ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome.’ When women aim for success people before them haven’t, they get torn down. It’s something I wanted to address.”
In the end, Eat Your Heart Out blossom like never before on Florescence.
“I’d just for listeners to connect to this at the end of the day,” she leaves off. “If you can see yourself in some of these situations and have relief, that’s awesome. It’s what music does for me. Maybe it reminds you you’re not alone, or it makes you want to dance. That’s all I hope for.”