In Hearts Wake thrive on contrast. Listen to the way lead singer Jake Taylor’s guttural roar interplays with bassist Kyle Erich’s clean vocal counterpoint, and how the band’s thrashing metalcore assault gives way to soaring melodic heights. Formed in Byron Bay, Australia in 2006, the five-piece flexed their muscled potential on 2012’s tarot-inspired debut album Divination before 2014’s Earthwalker established their urgent environmental concerns. Featuring The Amity Affliction vocalist Joel Birch, the title track drives home the message that we’re all on this planet together, an idea the band has actioned by organising conservation initiatives at home and abroad. Their 2020 album Kaliyuga was notably darker in themes and more varied in sound, showcasing clubby breakbeats on “Worldwide Suicide” and Taylor’s rap-like delivery on “Son of a Witch”. In the midst of such sonic extremes, In Hearts Wake powerfully articulate the need to reclaim and preserve the world we share.