Review Summary: Running from reality
Why do we exist? Why are we here?
These complicated questions are posed by hardcore group Candy on their third full-length, It’s Inside You.
Most heavy bands are no stranger to dark and negative content, but Candy is far more focused and intentional about fleshing out these uncomfortable questions in a way that will get under your skin. Utilizing blunt, bleak lyrics about the human condition paired with savage riffs and incendiary electronics, the band has crafted a riveting and confrontational experience.
eXistenZ is one of the heaviest, bounciest songs you will hear all year and serves as both the perfect opener and mission statement of the album. “Existence precedes essence” is screamed over riffs that are bound to bring violence. Candy is forcing you to face their demons with no escape. We start to get clues that there is going to be more genre mixing and experimentation with You Will Never Get Me. The song sounds like what Code Orange has been trying to achieve on their last two albums: merging crushing riffs with an industrial tinge that even includes dj scratchings and concludes with a massive, satisfying breakdown. Candy smoothly executes this style in a way that does not sound forced at all. The title track channels late 80’s era Ministry in all the right ways. Grimy, atmospheric, jarring, but with a rhythmic, catchy chorus amidst the filth and distortion.
Love Like Snow is the closest thing to a ballad you will find here. The album suspends the battering with a genuinely vulnerable, pretty Candy song. Thick, sensitive synths propel the song forward with vocalist Zak Quiram wailing slightly more gently “connection never felt so real - can it last forever?” A key part of why It’s Inside You stands above other nihilistic music is the strength and depth of the lyrics. Throughout the album, Candy is painting a portrait of a hostile, meaningless world. Faith 91 is perhaps the most successful song in this pursuit. “The weight of days is dreadful” and “faceless clock, timeless hopes - give away my body for someone to hold”. Dreams Less Sweet continues this trend with lyrics such as “are we living in a world just to die?” and “shattered days linger, dreams laid dead”. With each new despondent, depraved riff and lyric you start to agree more with Candy’s take on living.
As for the songs not mentioned, they are all exceptional heavy hitters that follow more in the vein of the classic Candy metallic hardcore style. Another essential reason why the album excels is the calculated risks the band takes with genre expansion and song structure.
Dehumanize Me employs monstrous bass that feels like you are trapped in the midst of a futuristic war, taking cover from the shells. New weaponry is employed when frenzied electronic percussion and noise appear halfway through. “Endless human failure turns me to a machine of hate” is screamed repeatedly over merciless, mechanical riffs to get it through your skull how Candy has been affected by the violence in the world.
Dancing To The Infinite Beat is the soundtrack to a level of a video game that you will never beat. Candy finally starts to admit that it might be better to surrender to the sick joke of a world than to keep fighting. Ironically this track has some of the more upbeat sounding electronics and almost transitions into a full-blown synthwave song near the end. Album closer Hypercore finishes the release on a high note. Quiram frantically delivers vocals about how he feels his mind is diseased and will never be safe again while electronic noise and rhythms increasingly drown him out.
An urgent, engrossing listen from start to finish, Candy has written a masterful album with memorable songs that are further improved with engaging track sequencing. The band places the more experimental songs at the right points while feeding us more traditional tracks that old fans will appreciate. There are not many bands right now creating heavy music so enjoyable on the surface while simultaneously challenging listeners on weighty topics.
