2020 was a year of change for everyone and nobody was immune, not even Johannesburg-based rock/alternative outfit Climate Control. After various member changes and path shifts, the now three-piece are once again diving into the realm of experimentation and pushing their artistic boundary. During the lockdown, they recorded and remotely produced three new impactful singles.
Over the years, Climate Control has never allowed genre labels to define their sound. As their song writing and style evolved, so did their love of merging elements from various styles to create something distinctive and rooted in melody, while never losing the passion and desperation of their earlier, heavier ingredients. With energetic live performances and a flair for dramatic aural ventures, Climate Control merges the vigor of alternative rock, hooky and addictive pop sensibilities, and the force of post-hardcore into one mesmerizing sonic showcase.
Over recent years the band has shared the stage with international artists such as Our Last Night, Hands Like Houses, and Crown the Empire. They performed at major local festivals like RAMfest and Krank’d Up. Their previous singles charted within the top 4 in the South African iTunes Rock Chart upon release. Their new material follows their 2018 self-produced and released sophomore full-length album, “Equals Not.”
Their latest single, “In Flux,” is an introspective look at one’s own flaws and destructive tendencies; how the urge to set metaphorical bridges alight can feel good and cathartic, albeit damaging and harmful in many ways. This theme is underpinned by the urgent, layered instrumentals and fluctuating rhythms throughout the song. Driven by guitar and drums, the instrumental provides a forceful backdrop for the strong-toned chorus where the lyrics explore the burning of bridges. The instrumental then mellows out for the verses and synths become mixed in and the vocals shift to a softer tone as the lyrics explore the consequences of the chorus. The instrumental and vocals crescendo and quicken going back into the chorus. The lyrics now touch on how it feels to burn the bridge – strong and cathartic, a feeling that someone might find intoxicating.
This cycle repeats as the introspective dynamic continues, leaving listeners to ponder on their own destructive tendencies and reflect on the damage that these can bring about.
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