ONE FALL deliver the riffs to the masses on raging new EP ‘Spine First!’
Salem melodic punk/hardcore band and 2023 Rock And Roll Rumble winners unleash the beast on Friday, October 20
ONE FALL play The Fest in Gainesville on Saturday, October 28
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Photo Credit: Coleman Rogers Photography
Listen to One Fall on Spotify
BOSTON, Mass. [October 20, 2023] -- For a band named after a type of wrestling match, ONE FALL is hard to pin down.
Since forming a little over a year ago, the Salem-based melodic punk and hardcore quartet has emerged onto the scene at a breakneck pace, quickly earning a reputation around New England on the strength of a well-received initial batch of early songs, a relentless arsenal of riffs, and a ferocious live show that helped earn the crown at the 2023 Rock And Roll Rumble, the esteemed “World Series of Boston Rock,” as well as instant nominations in the punk categories of this year’s Boston and New England Music Awards.
But on Friday, October 20, ONE FALL releases its debut EP Spine First!, and it serves as a proper introduction to the Witch City band. Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Kyle Paradis at New Alliance Audio in Somerville, Spine First! is a blistering five-song effort, complete with a closing Bruce Springsteen cover, that blurs ONE FALL’s genre lines even further, capturing the performance speed, snarling intensity, and sweaty playfulness that has instantly put this group – composed of Phill Hunt (guitar), Darren Lourie (bass), Helen McWilliams (vocals and guitar), and Caleb Wheeler (drums and percussion) – on the musical map in their hometown and beyond.
“We’re really excited to have a handful more songs out in the world,” ONE FALL says. “The first EP that we put out was three songs that we recorded in the basement – and we were psyched with how it came out – but we never expected the whirlwind of a year we would have after releasing just those three songs. So it’s awesome that we’ll have some more tracks out there; hopefully folks will find some tracks on this EP that resonate with them and we’ll get to see some more people singing along with our songs at shows – that’s the best feeling in the world.”
That won’t take long. The night Spine First! hits the streams, ONE FALL crashes Virginia to play the Iron Roses record release party at Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery in Richmond. The band then heads down to Gainesville, Florida, to bring their northeast mix of blood, sweat, and cheers to esteemed punk gathering The Fest. Not a bad swing for a new band that played its first show back in December, and dropped their first video, for “Rats Abandon Ship,” the following month.
Spine First!, fitting for a band that seemingly arrived out of nowhere, wastes no time getting to the beating heart of ONE FALL’s musical vision. Opening track “Rage/Quit” explodes with maximum riffage right off the jump before unfolding its enraptured melody, providing a bit of heartfelt catharsis for the band as it blitzes across three unforgiving minutes. “Surrounder” veers into more metal territory before its street punk attitude pulls it back to ONE FALL’s sonic core, while the dynamic “Raleigh” harkens a sweet dose of ‘80s-inflicted arena rock ambition stirred with skate punk energy. The pummeling “Back to the Wall” showcases ONE FALL’s more aggressive and confrontational side, and an inspired cover of The Boss’ “Born To Run,” a nod to McWilliams’ New Jersey roots, closes the record out with a breathless bang.
And under all the hooks, riffage, and high-voltage energy, McWilliams comes correct with lyrics that match the intensity, surveying the shit show of a society around her and knowing when to keep friends within a tight circle.
“There’s a lot of rage and frustration in the lyrics this time around – a lot of the lyrics on Spine First! deal with misogyny and how American capitalism intersects with and drives patriarchy and rape culture,” the band says. “But there are also a lot of themes about choosing who your family is and what family really means. An underlying lyrical theme throughout the EP is about devoting yourself to the people and passions that really matter to you, amid the frustrations and injustices of a capitalist culture.”
That rings clear amongst ONE FALL’s four members – including new addition Darren Lourie on bass, bringing a metal edge and years of touring experience to the band – who are quick to praise each other and offer public admiration for each individual effort.
“We’re big fans of each others’ playing and the different elements we each bring to the table,” ONE FALL adds. “Phill is impossibly humble but he has some really fun shreddy solos and riffy parts in these tracks. Caleb is always looking for rhythmically-interesting and tricky fills – even when he gets mad at himself for thinking of them because it means he has to actually play them. The dudes get excited about Helen’s harmony construction and her crazy fast downstrums. And we were very lucky to have Kyle Paradis from Oh the Humanity! filling in on bass on this EP, because he’s, you know, basically the best bass player out there right now. Luckily Darren was able to put his own spin on those parts live and bring his own energy to these tracks!”
With everything that has transpired over the past year, it’d be easy for ONE FALL to lose focus. But the arrival of Spine First! is a declaration, a very loud and spirited one, that has quickly swelled to become a source of pride. The accolades may come and go, the victories in band competitions may or may not happen again, and the response to the EP is impossible to predict. But Spine First! showcases a new band making the record they want to make, for their friends, family, and themselves, and on their own terms. And they simply cannot wait to show the fucker off.
“We genuinely love what we’re doing and are having the best time,” ONE FALL concludes. “We’re writing music that we want to listen to, and there’s friendship and sincere feeling baked into these songs. People should also know that we’re quite fond of professional wrestling.”
Media Contact: Please direct all band inquiries to Helen McWilliams
and ONE FALL at onefallma@gmail.com.
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ONE FALL is:
Phill Hunt: Guitar and Vocals
Darren Lourie: Bass and Vocals
Helen McWilliams: Vocals and Guitar
Caleb Wheeler: Drums and Vocals
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‘Spine First!’ EP artwork:
Design Credit: Adam Cutler at Motionless Visions
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‘Spine First!’ EP credits:
Written by ONE FALL
Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Kyle Paradis at New Alliance Audio in Somerville, MA
Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East Mastering
Bass on Spine First! by Kyle Paradis
EP artwork created by Adam Cutler at Motionless Visions
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Media praise for ONE FALL:
“The Salem group was quick to shred the evening’s final competing set into epic snapshots: Pleather boots perched on monitors, sweaty locks of hair tossed back and snapped forward, concentration funneled into fast fingers skating across a golden Gibson. And good luck to anyone trying to take a photo whenever lead singer and guitarist Helen McWilliams punched a riotous fist in the air, causing a legion of North Shore devotees to follow suit right in front of every camera lens.” _Vanyaland
“If you catch the reference in the band name ONE FALL, the melodic punk rockers’ music will make perfect sense… Regardless of genre or labels, ONE FALL’s sound captures some of the attributes of pro wrasslin’ with its high-energy.” _Salem News
“If you like melodic punk – and c’mon, who doesn’t – the Salem quartet will slay you. Helen McWilliams voice has never, ever sounded better than on “Rats Abandon Ship.” It’s impossibly big and framed so expertly by a tidal wave of sneering, cheering hooky punk guitars and drums.” _Boston Herald
“One Fall delivered an energetic set that mixed an Old School NYHC aesthetic with West Coast Punk vibe as vocalist/rhythm guitarist Helen McWilliams launched into a Davey Havok meets Glenn Danzig hybrid behind the mic as they ripped through a stellar set…” _Rock And Roll Fables
“One Fall is a Salem, MA punk rock supergroup. The band just released their debut three song EP, and to call it melodic hardcore is an understatement. Musically ‘Slingshot’, ‘Rats Abandon Ship’... fit squarely into the melodic hardcore genre. It's loud and hard like hardcore should be, but there is still a melodic element throughout the songs. It's not just fast and loud, but it's catchy as hell. And then there's the vocals. McWilliams has a voice not typically heard in music this loud. It's more of a pop style of vocal, but somehow One Fall make it work with the more aggressive music. Plus, there is some crazy great harmonizing going on here, the kind you'd normally hear with a band like The Beths than punk or hardcore.” _If It’s Too Loud
“The new melodic punk quartet out of Salem dropped a lightning bolt of a self-titled EP last month, boast some significant Boston music DNA (Razors in the Night, Giant Target…), and are fronted by do-no-wrong vocalist and rhythm guitarist Helen McWilliams (Tijuana Sweetheart). ONE FALL’s three-track EP, a polished hit machine recorded and mixed by Kyle Paradis, is a high-energy punk powderkeg that’s both brash and inviting, packing the type of infectious ragers that squat in your dome and refuse to vacate.” _Vanyaland
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Band Contact: onefallma@gmail.com
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