You The Symphony - What We Used To Be

The sixteenth century poet John Donne once said that no man is an island, entire of itself. As a people, isolation of any of us would be a termination of a part of a larger body, a tiny digit, or perhaps an arm. To divorce from that body would deny purpose and truth.

Reflecting upon Donne’s idea, and penning the lyrics to You The Symphony’s sophomore effort Empty Room Philosophies, vocalist Luke Cypher realized the skin he had been shedding hadn’t left a wound, but a callous.

“This record is about finding peace with being alone,” Cypher said. “For a long time, I felt a hole that I thought could be filled by other people, and it can’t. I know that now, and I’m okay with it,” Cypher said.

Written in the wake of marriages, break-ups, and a long winter spent writing in an old dance studio, the self-produced EP is a mash-up of influence from bands like Jimmy Eat World to Deftones. But first and foremost, the band understands that it’s crux must pivot first on being who they are.

“There are a lot of bands who pretend out there,” drummer Chris Lehberger said. “We don’t pull any punches. What you see is what you get.”

Kicking off with powerful “Disarm,” a track pronounced by throbbing guitars and heavy bass and drum exchanges, the record transitions into the smooth “What We Used To Be,” encapsulated but hooks and palm-muted guitars. The spacy “Invisible” harkens Thrice-like comparisons with it’s dense and often meandering lines, while “I Wish You Would’ve Believed Me” speaks in heavy tones, with crashing choruses and sizeable bridges. “Sailing,” however, is a selah of sorts with acoustic guitar and open-sea imagery before arriving to a towering denouement, with Cypher musing “We’ll sail off/We’ll sail off where you can’t go.”

Ending with “Walls,” accompanied by battling guitars and hooky choruses, the release proves to be a step-up for the band from the band’s debut EP, From Air To Arms, showing hope for a music scene painted neon and flooded by cookie-cutter bands.

“People like us because to them our music is accessible without being generic,” Cypher. “I think people can recognize honest music when they hear it.”

Indeed, having earned slots on the 2010 Warped Tour and shows alongside of bands like Cartel, Silverstein, Punchline, and Lydia, and spots on 105.9 the band knows good things come to those who believe in them and work for them.

“We are all just happy to be able to do what we love,” Lehberger said. “We all have jobs and all have bills, but know that we are super blessed to be able to create music we love and to have people listen to it and enjoy it.”

Empty Room Philosophies is now available for purchase through iTunes, Smartpunk, and several other major online distributors.