If you take out the hyphen and the quotation marks, that headline would be a pretty cool statement. I promised the world a pure expression — that’s like something Truffaut would say. That’s not what I’m saying, though. I do not promise the world a pure expression. I simply want to let the world know that the young Texan metalcore revivalists I Promised The World have a new song called “A Pure Expression,” nothing deeper than that.
I Promised The World are young as fuck, and they’re part of a new scene that’s fully locked into the sounds and aesthetics of an extremely distinct form of mid-’00s metalcore. After releasing their 2024 debut Fear Of The Fall and touring with Deafheaven, I Promised The World have signed to Rise Records, which was once the prime purveyor of the kind of music that the band is bringing back. Their new self-titled EP drops next month, and we already heard lead single “Bliss in 7 Languages,” which I really like. I also really like the new song “A Pure Expression.”
It’s such a trip to watch these people throwing themselves completely into an aesthetic that was probably on its way out when they were born. “A Pure Expression,” like every I Promised The World song, is an expert recreation of ambitiously melodic ’00s metalcore, right down to the triumphant melodic bridges and the multiple breakdowns. I wasn’t that into this kind of music when it was new, but I’m kind of charmed by this new version. Check out the “A Pure Expression” video below.
I Promised The World’s self-titled EP is out 1/16 on Rise.
