“For us, it’s all about giving people an earworm to send them home with,” frontman Hayden Wright said of Proclivity’s new single Mania.
Proclivity have shared their latest single, a stellar progressive metal cut titled Mania. It marks the first single to be lifted from the Perth band’s forthcoming debut album The Year Without a Summer, and is guided by the coarse and enrapturing vocals of lead vocalist Hayden Wright.
Spanning a range of topics throughout its runtime, Mania sees Wright reflect on the fracturing areas of our mass discourse, with the thunderous assists from his bandmates helping to accentuate the commentary.
For his part, Proclivity drummer David May contributes thunderous percussion atop ear-splitting guitar strums courtesy of Ben Tippins and David Ellis.
While the collective efforts of the band are at their noisiest throughout the track, Mania also makes room for captivating solos, with lead guitarist Dave Ellis delivering classic, screechy licks that seem purpose built for head thrashing, all while bassist Sol Spilsbury Slee sets a rumbling foundation.
Perhaps the standout element of Mania is its ambitious lyricism, which manages to tackle heady themes within the packagable context of heavy metal. Wright sings with steadfast intensity of desire, infallibility and inhibition, with vocals reminiscent of an early Paramore track.
In one section, the frontman accelerates his cadence for a rapid-fire verse, as punctuated by the clamorous assists of his bandmates.
Mania later slows down for a rhythmic climactic bridge soundtracked by an electric guitar sequence. There’s an element of pop to the track, with its sing-along vocal ad-libs and melodic riffs. While these moments offer a unique flair to the metal track, it’s clear that Proclivity are most at home in heavier sounds, complete with crushing progressive passages and headbanging interludes.
“For us, it’s all about giving people an earworm to send them home with,” Wright said of Mania in a press statement. Elaborating on the meaning of the single, Wright explained how Mania is about how “Our day-to-day experience is ever more politicised, as we are encouraged to think politically [and] filter information through a political lens.”
Mania was produced in collaboration with engineer and producer Matthew Templeman. It serves as the quintet’s first-ever single, and previews a full-length project — titled The Year Without a Summer — set for release in the near future. Mania is accompanied by an official lyric video, and precedes fellow upcoming singles Raindance and Paper Dollhouse, which are due to arrive soon.
Proclivity will celebrate the release of Mania with a single launch party at Lynott’s Lounge in Perth on May 12. Find tickets and more information for that event here, and listen to Proclivity’s debut single Mania above and check out the official lyric video that drops later on today.
