In "The Devil I Know", PØRTERS make a powerful and thundering first impression, one that delivers the Newcastle-based alt-rockers as a band to watch and feel. Taken from their debut EP, "Motion Without Direction," this track showcases a primal nature, offering a snapshot of the internal battles we face in life, all set to thunderous drums, feral guitars, and vocals that both incite and uplift.
Frontwoman Maria Winter takes control of the track from the very first vocal cord, mastering an emotional rasp that's as lovely as it is gritty and as sensitive as it is sassy. Her voice doesn't soar, just slices and dices, clashing against the track's churning rhythms and swelling aural chaos. An electrifying performance that feels deeply lived-in, the cover embodies the song's central tension between familiarity and fear.
PØRTERS wear their influences on their sleeve with "The Devil I Know." Though the reason we love it isn't because of where it comes from, but rather the way PØRTERS have made these influences entirely their own. The guitarist, Kieran Taylor, delivers a roar full of bite and bend that is precise, and the bass lines by James Hughes are darkly magnetic, adding weight without weighing things down. The keys of Nick Gladdish lend a feel of sonic enigma, and Tom Furniss just drives it along with his relentless drum energy. Each individual player has at some point, but they've never eclipsed that collective force, and this is still ultimately a collective team.
The song is made of conflict, the kind that festers just below the surface, and the band has it under control, knowing when to push and pull back. There is storytelling not just in the lyrics themselves but in the arrangement itself. The song is a slow-burner in another way, building and releasing on you much as the band seems to be urging you to confront their known demons. In the context of "Motion Without Direction," taken as a whole, it's the single that feels like a clear center of gravity. It's gritty, it's gutsy, and it's precisely the kind of debut statement that makes you hungry for more. In doing so, PØRTERS has not only emerged in the alt-rock world, but they have also carved out a space of their own. "The Devil I Know" is the sound of a band who knows who they are, and they're daring you to meet them there.
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