Joe Guppy
November 15, 2021| Dan Hillier |FEATURES
Disposable Youth: Track by Track with Bailer
Whilst Ireland may not be a region known for a flourishing metallic hardcore scene, Bailer are well and truly on their way to putting the country on the map of all things savage and relentless.
Following on from a sting of positively received extended plays and appearances alongside the likes of Malevolence, Loathe and The Black Dahlia Murder, the Cork quartet just recently dropped their debut LP in the form of Disposable Youth. Produced by Lewis Johns (Employed To Serve, Conjurer, Rolo Tomassi), the record is the full embodiment and manifestation of the nihilism that the group harbour collectivity. Across the ten songs that compose the record, Bailer darkly detail a headspace overtaken by manic depression via the means of barbaric hardcore that’s both infused and tainted by hulking motifs of doom and sludge metal. It’s a grim a listen, one of doomed youth and one that truly shows the power, skill and experimentation that have allowed Bailer to become one of the most promising heavy bands to emerge from Ireland in recent years.
With Disposable Youth out now via Blood Blast Distribution, we got in touch with the band to break down the record, track by track.
Related: Bailer – Disposable Youth | Album Review
Blackout
“‘Blackout’ pulls back the curtain on what’s to come across Disposable Youth. Lyrically it sets the scene by pulling you into the headspace of what it’s like to destroy yourself to the point of major lows. The album takes on a bleak outlook of the world, from a place of manic depression with a touch of nihilism. As soon as we came up with the intro riff and tempo change we knew this had to be the opener to the album.”
Bastard Son
“This is one of those songs that just came together super quickly! We had the main drop section written and knew what we wanted to do with the song. Chris (Hart, Guitar) and Sean (Conway, Drums) got together and within an hour had a live demo recording of the song that they were buzzing on. When Alex (O’Leary, Vocals) got the demo he knew the lyrics had to be pissed off, personal, and to the point. The title speaks for itself here.”
Out Of Frame
“‘Out of Frame’ is heavily themed around abuse, abuse of all kinds. I kinda imagined a typical family photo, with the abuser scratched out and I felt the title was appropriate. The message is, if you’ve ever shown cruelty or violence to another person or animal with malicious purpose or intent, you can go fuck yourself, scum.”
Cruel Master
“The opening riff in this song we had for quite a while, but we weren’t sure where to go with it. One day the spark came and we experimented with the chaotic drums that come in on top of the riff and it all came together quickly from there. The title is about the give and take that comes with addiction. While things like alcohol offer a safe space, an escape from anxiety, something to take the edge off, dependency to these things lead to enslavement. You give yourself to these things and they eventually take everything from you. Also shout out to Brady Deeprose from Conjurer for the guest vocals on this one. He was our manager at the time and recorded his parts with Dan from Pressure Cracks out in LA.’
Strung Out
“The vibe for this one came together in the jam room, Alex wrote the chorus first and built everything around it. The lyrics capture an existential crisis, a secret guilt for the poor decisions made or facing the reality of ones own death. The title relates to the physical/mental debilitation that comes with withdrawal from a drug. The section “I keep digging my own grave” is a highlight for us playing live.”
Scourge
“This song just covers our contempt for most contemporary forms of government and it’s paradigms we’re subjected too to on a daily basis. A ‘fuck the system’ track – if you like. Musically the verse and chorus riffs are two of the earliest written riffs on the whole album. Chris and Dave (Cleere, Bass) actually came up with the outro idea in the car by humming it to each other on the way to practice. As soon as we got into our jam room and tried it we knew we were onto a winner.”
Gateway Drug
“This ended up being the lead single for the album campaign, but funnily enough, if we had more time before recording the album, this song probably wouldn’t have made the cut. However when Alex recorded vocals for it in the studio, we thought it was one of the strongest songs on the album. Jianna Nicole added the extra vocals here. We actually didn’t know each other at all, but her band was recording in another part of the studio while we were there and our producer Lewis wanted us to get a female vocal on the track. We got our photographer Joe Guppy to ask and Jianna was sound enough to come in and lay down her vocals in front of a bunch of complete strangers. She smashed it and we were so stoked with what she added to the song!”
No Apologies
“’No Apologies’ marks a turning point on the record, the start of the ending, the final section if you will. Lyrically it’s the most negative song on the record. Alex says he was dealing with a lot of shit at the time and this was the result. It’s the disillusion that accompanies major stress or anger. That sour, bitter feeling for the world, if you know you know…”
There Is a Love that Remains
“This song came together from a rare moment where I think of a riff in my head and stop what I’m doing at work, to hum the idea into my phone. Initially I only planned to hum the first riff or two that I had in my head, but I ended up humming the entire song on the fly. It took me two days to figure out how to play the ideas and create a demo to show the lads. It ended up being one of the most abrasive and heavy songs on the record then. When we first got mixes back for this, the outro riff genuinely made me cry!”
“There Is A Love That Remains covers a lot of stuff at the same time for me personally, but the ultimate message/lesson is to make the most of the time you get with the ones you love. You never know when it might be the last time.”
Fester
“This mixes the biggest bounce riffs on the album with the dirtiest sludge riffage on the album as well. Like in life you can be up one moment and down the next. We never wanted a happy ending to this record. Life has its twists and turns and sometimes there are no happy endings. This song really took a deep dive into the thoughts that happen in those moments before the point of suicide. This song again is calling back to the hopelessness and rage expressed throughout Disposable Youth. We hope the ending leaves you with a bitter taste. Shout out to Jack from Negative Measures for his guest vocal. He came to the studio in Southampton with our good friend Oscar while we were recording and blew us away with what he added to the song.”
