Album review: Polar – Everywhere, Everything

The list of records born out of the pandemic is exhaustive, it's fair to say. But Polar’s Everywhere, Everything doesn’t fit the bill of your typical “lockdowns were scary and we're all doomed” album – it’s far more personal than that. Despite the band nearly calling it quits, it sounds incredibly energised.

Once single Burn had taken shape, it spurred the quartet on to write about pushing harder and not burning out, and the proof they stuck to this idea is in the 10-track pudding. It provides relentless drumming, the kind that booms inside the wall of your chest in a live setting like an aggressive Window’s screensaver (Noah See: how are your arms? Are you okay?) and guitar riffs which move between crafted and artful, to full, fat and fast enough to give you a head-rush.

Standout track Rush brings in deft feminine vocals that prick up the ears amongst the heaviness, as well as quick and dashing snare, as it calls us on to ‘live again, live again’. Adam Woodford’s clean vocals are a rare treat on this record, but are used wisely and balanced with his frustration-fuelled growls. Dissolve Me brings full-force fury with stuttering guitar and Deliverance opens with a poetic spoken word, evolving into rage-gripped vocals.

By the time it reaches Baptism Of Fire, we’re ready for something truly epic, but it actually feels pretty mellow. Yet maybe that’s the point – by reaching the end, the band have come out the other side, turned over the leaf. It’s a collective sigh of relief, and a testament to the catharsis of this record. Everywhere, Everything is Polar hitting a reset button; it's a group of mates seriously getting their shit together.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Blood Youth, Wars, Obey The Brave

Everywhere, Everything is out January 13 via Arising Empire