Ever since joining the Big Scary Monsters Records roster in 2024, I’ve been keeping an eye on Love Rarely. After two years, which have included festival outings and a recent impressive run supporting The Callous Daoboys, their debut full-length has arrived. ‘Pain Travels’ sees the Leeds-based outfit deliver a debut with plenty of intent, making it a delightful listen.
Their blend of jagged math-rock, melodic emo, and explosive post-hardcore is executed with plenty of depth. Musically, the quintet’s instrumentation is pulled off with dynamism, while vocalist Courtney “CJ” Levitt proves to be a versatile firecracker of a frontwoman. Below the surface is a set of songs of trauma, self-contempt, and transformation. From the outset of ‘Will,’ Levitt confronts with “I bet you thought you were gonna scare me, oh no, I’ve grown so much you wouldn’t know me”. Delivered with a mathy bounce and warm tone, it quickly shows what Love Rarely are all about. ‘Repulse’ quickly comes and goes with juddering guitars and Levitt’s blaring voice, before a momentary respite allows her to let an almighty scream.
Next, the recent single, ‘Severed,’ sees the quintet come into their own. With an opening that incites both panic and catharsis, guitarists Lew Taylor and Dan Dewsnap exchange angular riffs as Levitt pleads, “Can we stop now?” Drenched in alcohol-soaked trauma, its vibrant bursts allow Dan Gilson (bass) and Leo Godfrey (drums) to provide a controlled bounce. It’s undoubtedly an early standout, highlighting Love Rarely‘s lyrical vulnerability.
Throughout, they have a tendency to take you on a musical and lyrical rollercoaster. For example, ‘I’ll Try’ opens with superb drum fills and ringing guitars, before sinking into Levitt’s mix of harmonious and barbed vocals. ‘Haunted’ allows Taylor to take over the clean vocals with a soulful and aching resonance, seguing into some blistering fretplay.
One compelling element of Love Rarely is how well they bounce off one another. Tracks such as ‘Blame’ and ‘Whiplash’ emphasise their instrumental dexterity with rumbling rhymic undertones and jangling guitars, creating brief but rich moments. As a vocalist, CJ constantly threatens to steal the spotlight. Whether that be through cathartic harmonies or feral bites, she pours out pent-up emotions throughout. The closing pairing of ‘Disappear’ and ‘Through Families’ exemplifies this to a tee. Furthermore, they bring ‘Pain Travels’ personal narrative full circle, signalling growth as they pull themselves away from taking the responsibility for the self-destruction of loved ones.
Although the math riffs seemingly dominate at first, along with CJ’s vocals being buried in places, ‘Pain Travels’ is a record that grows with each listen. Love Rarely have already delivered on the potential of their early singles, producing a superb debut that is musically rich. When you add the element of lyrical and emotional depth displayed across its 12 tracks, you’re left with one of the best debuts of the year so far.
‘Pain Travels’ by Love Rarely is available now on Big Scary Monsters Records.
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