Fuzzable
It was around summer 2015 I first heard of With Confidence and I low-key have Michael Clifford from 5 Seconds of Summer to thank (just a little). I remember With Confidence’s song ‘Godzilla’ was in one of Michael’s playlists on the 5SOS Spotify. I decided to give it a listen and I instantly fell in love with it. After that, I checked out With Confidence’s song ‘London Lights’ and was completely hooked on their music.
One of the things that drew me towards With Confidence were that they were different to what I was listening to at the time. After discovering they were unsigned at the time and that their EPs Youth and Distance were self-released, it made me really appreciate their hard work and dedication to the music more. ‘London Lights’ and ‘Godzilla’, to me, both have that kind of angsty feel but are still upbeat and songs you can jam out too. Although this may just be the beginning for With Confidence, their songs so far have shown me an array of emotions and feelings; ones I haven’t even felt myself for real yet. But nonetheless, I manage to feel them regardless.
I think Better Weather and ‘Voldemort’ are genius titles but I could be biased. I tend to enjoy things when there’s a type of symbolism or meaning behind it. In an interview with Alternative Press, bassist and lead vocalist Jayden Seeley said, “‘Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.’ Voldemort is my personification of mental illness and this song is a big, happy and carefree fuck you to Voldemort.” As a fellow Harry Potter fan, and person who wants to continue breaking the negative stigma surrounding mental illness, I was very excited when I found this out. Without getting too personal, the entire song is one that resonates with me. The lyric “despite all the reassurances and reoccurrences you will not be alone” is like a friend letting you know that no matter how many times you tell them you’ll be fine, that you don’t need their help but do end up needing their help, that it’s okay and you won’t be left in the dark.
Some other songs on Better Weather which convey similar messages are ‘Keeper’, ‘We’ll Be Okay’ and ‘Gravity’, to list a few. One of the great things about Better Weather isn’t just its name or album artwork, but how diverse the songs are on there. Even though they’re completely individual and different to each other, you’re still able to listen and say, “that’s a With Confidence song”. There’s ones about heartbreak, friendships, mental health, passion, inspiration and a whole lot more. Once all of those things are added together you get Better Weather. The album name is cool because it links back to a lyric in ‘Voldemort’ (“despite the weather, it gets better”) and that it represents the themes of the album well. “Despite the weather, it gets better” has a nice symbolic meaning, to me anyway. Sadness and negative emotions can often be associated with rain or dreary weather. But in that lyric, it’s like they’re saying that even if it is rainy and that reflects your mood, or even if it’s sunny and you’re not positive like sunny weather can be associated with, it’ll get better.
Their songs are uplifting yet acknowledge that human emotions can be negative. They don’t completely ignore the spectrum of feelings that aren’t always talked about. ‘Waterfall’ has to be one of my favourite songs off the album and quite possibly one of my favourite songs ever. It’s beautifully written, constructed and has a unique, original ending. A truly incredible song to finish the album with.
