They Fear Us
They Fear Us gives Ithaca a wider emotional range without removing the force of their heavier music. Djamila Azzouz's singing is central to that change, moving between fierce screams and cleaner melodies with confidence. The guitars still have a sharp physical impact, but the album is more interested in how that weight can work alongside detail and restraint.
In The Way introduces both sides quickly. The harsher voice remains forceful, while the cleaner passages give the song a more open melodic character. The change feels like an expansion of the band's sound rather than a separate style placed beside it.
The Future Says Thank You develops that relationship further. Azzouz's cleaner lines have enough presence to stand beside the more aggressive verses, and the guitar writing gives both approaches a firm base. The later increase in tension makes the contrast feel purposeful. The singing adds a different kind of weight instead of simply making the song easier to enter.
Fluorescent is another strong example. More delicate guitar detail and softer vocal passages sit within a still forceful arrangement, allowing the music to change its pressure without losing its shape. Ithaca sound particularly convincing when those elements support the same melody.
The heavier pieces remain effective too. Cremation Party provides a more direct burst of aggression, while Number Five uses a particularly low guitar attack to create a different kind of unease. Their impact helps the quieter final stretch feel like a considered change rather than a retreat.
Hold, Be Held closes with a much softer, ballad-like approach. The cleaner singing and more open atmosphere make an appealing ending, although the distance from the earlier metalcore can feel substantial. Some of the polished arrangements also lose a little of the roughness that gives the heavier music its character.
That tension does not undermine the whole record. They Fear Us is most rewarding where the expressive voice and detailed guitars connect the softer and harsher material. Its new melodic emphasis is not equally convincing everywhere, but it produces enough strong songs to justify the wider approach. Ithaca make a powerful album whose best moments show how much force can come from a change in tone as well as another breakdown.
