Since the release of their breakthrough debut ‘Lost Souls’ in 2021, Yorkshire’s Caskets have been carving out their own unique space within the UK post-hardcore scene.
With each song on album one delving into the stories and emotions of vocalist Matt Flood’s past, the five-piece unveiled a dynamic blend of bone-crushing riffs and mellower atmospheric spaces, inspired by the metal bands they found solace in growing up.
Channelling every emotion from love and hope to despair and grief, their unique heart-on-sleeve approach has seen Caskets connect with heavy music fans across the world. Unafraid to delve into heavy lyrical subject matter and inspired by the passionate artistry that Chester Bennington brought to Linkin Park, what sits at the band’s core is a message of hope, echoed throughout their latest album, ‘Reflections’.
A record that delves into specific moments within each of the band member’s lives, to celebrate its release vocalist Matt Flood and drummer James Lazenby talk Rock Sound through ten lyrics that have defined Caskets journey so far.
“When you think you’re not enough // You don’t fit in”, ‘Better Way Out’ – ‘Reflections’ (2023)
James: “This lyric is about feeling like you’re not fitting in with a group of people. I think it’s really relatable for a lot of the people who listen to our type of music, because you get lots of people calling you names and saying you’re a ‘mosher’. Going through high school, I was one of those moshers. I think it’s nice to hear another band sing about the way you feel, because you may not realise it at the time, but a lot of other people feel the same way.”
“Hope’s just a ladder // And you can make it to the top // Just believe in your ability // Let your head believe your heart”, ‘Hopes & Dreams’ – ‘Lost Souls’ (2021)
Matt: “It’s about not letting things get to you. I struggled a lot with depression when I was writing that song, and I wrote it as a kick up the arse to myself. I see life as a type of ladder, and each step is a different phase of life. As long as you can keep taking the next step up and making it into the next phase, you must be doing something right. It’s a message to believe in yourself and to believe in the steps you’re taking to get to where you want to be.”
James: “That was a song that Matt wrote entirely by himself, and I remember when he first showed it to us. Matt, Benji [Wilson, guitar], myself, and our producer Dan [Weller] were in the room, and Benji and I just teared up instantly. It was so good. I’ll never forget the emotion Matt put into that song when we were recording it.”
Matt: “Through the process of creating our new album we’ve learnt to open up a more vulnerable dialogue with each other. ‘Lost Souls’ was the first album we made together, so it took time for that to build, but I think this song was where I first began finding that.”
“I feel the nostalgia seeping from these walls”, ‘The Final Say’ – ‘Lost Souls’ (2021)
Matt: “This is my favourite line from our first album because it says so much in one sentence. The song itself is about a relationship between a father and his son, and it’s taken from the son’s perspective after the father has either disappeared or died. This is the first line of the song, and it sets the tone for where it goes. The nostalgia of everything you go through when you’re a kid, whether they’re good or bad experiences, stays with you. Later in life, a smell, a thought, or a feeling can come back when you least expect it. I think it’s probably the best intro line I’ve ever written.”
“It’s like a fight for me to breathe every day // But I’m okay”, ‘More Than Misery’ – ‘Reflections’ (2023)
James: “It’s hard when you’re going through a bad period of life. You’ve got to realise that, even though you feel as down as you are, it’s like being on a roller coaster. You are going to get through it, you’re going to have those high points again, and you’ve got your friends to support you. Even though it’s pretty impossible to see that when you’re in those moments, once you accept that you are going to get through that period of life, it’s a lot easier. That’s a message that people need to hear in our songs. As deep as some of our lyrics are, it’s not a message of depression that we’re spreading, we’re spreading the fact that there is hope.”
Matt: “There are people in the world – especially younger people – who are trying to find their way in life right now. They need an outlet to feel like they’re understood, just like I did when I was a kid. When I was a kid, I needed someone to understand what I was going through, and I want our band to be an outlet for all of those people.”
“I’ve seen all the faces of your masquerade”, ‘Hold Me Now’ – ‘Lost Souls’ (2021)
James: “I actually wrote some of the lyrics for this song, so it’s quite close to my heart. For me personally, it’s about people with split emotions who can say one thing yet mean another. I think that’s something that people can relate to now, and there seem to be a lot more people getting diagnosed with BPD and things like that. I think it’s important to show that people realise what it’s like, and that you can get through that as long as you get to know each of those individual personalities.”
Matt: “For me, it’s about those moments when you’re in an argument with someone that you love. You’re probably arguing about something petty, and all you want is for them to grab you and hold you, but you’re both so stubborn that you’re still hours away from that moment. It’s this love/hate relationship that everyone has with those around them. You mainly argue with the people that you love the most, but all you want is to be held and to feel understood. In an argument there’s often a stubbornness, a selfishness, and an arrogance, but they’re all just different faces that cover a need to be heard.”
“I know one day I’ll find a way to separate myself from you always”, ‘Silhouettes’ – ‘Reflections’ (2023)
Matt: “I used to be in a band called Silhouettes around five years before Caskets started. This song was written as if I was looking at myself in front of a mirror and singing to myself. It’s about me trying to get to that next stage in my life, and sometimes you have to let go of certain things and certain people in order to get there. Other times, the things that you need to let go of are actually parts of yourself. As we get older, we realise how narcissistic we are, or how vain we are, so it’s about letting go of those bad traits that are inside you.”
“Bright lights fading, it won’t be long before they’re gone”, ‘Drowned in Emotion’ – ‘Lost Souls’ (2021)
James: “The position that we’re in as a band is very alien to us. We definitely have a bit of imposter syndrome, and with how quickly the band has progressed it feels like it could slip away at any moment. This lyric is about trying to make the most out of the band and the experiences we have. The rest of the song talks about stage fright as well because most of us get really anxious when going up on stage. This song is really an outlet for all the conflicting ways we feel in this band.”
Matt: “Every day is another step into the unknown, so you’ve always got to make sure that you’ve done everything you can possibly do. There are thousands of people who would chew their own arm off to be in the position that we’re in right now, and I understand that because when I was a kid, I dreamed of being where I am now. I spent all of my twenties trying to get there and I’d almost given up, then this band happened. You’ve got to keep going, and you have to believe in what you’re doing. If there’s something different about you, people will take notice, you’ve just got to believe in yourself.”
“I’d like to leave the suffering with the hatred and all its grief”, ‘By The Sound’ – ‘Reflections’ (2023)
Matt: “This song is about acknowledging grief or pain that you’ve caused someone else, hoping that they can see past it and not judge you for what you’ve done. You can be in a relationship and have this complete sense of trust, but then something bad can happen on either side. It might not have been done with any malicious intent, but even if you didn’t set out to hurt someone, sometimes it still does. That can create borders between you, without you even realising it.
There are times when you have caused someone pain, and then you ask them to leave that to the side and carry on in the relationship. Often, people say that they can do that, but it’ll always be there niggling in the back of their head. This lyric is about the realities of putting every bad emotion in a box and locking it away, because those things create half of who you are.”
“So if I sold myself a lie // Would you be my guiding light?”, ‘Guiding Light’ – ‘Reflections’ (2023)
Matt: “This lyric is about having someone there for you to fall back on if ever anything goes wrong. With me pursuing a career in music, I could be selling myself a lie. It could all come crashing down on me, but I have amazing friends and family to fall back on. I know I can try and go for this dream because if it goes tits up, I’m not just going to be on my own with everyone laughing at me saying, ‘I told you so’. These people love me and they’re gonna pick me up, kick me up the arse, and tell me to go again.”
“If I read between the lines // Replay everything inside my head // Break away from everything you said”, ‘Nothing to Hide’ – ‘Lost Souls’ (2021)
James: “If you go through a breakup, you’ve got to realise that it wasn’t all good. You’ve got to look at the bad points in that relationship, and they will help you get over it. You’ve got to read between the lines, you’ve got to think about what they said to you and what they actually meant. It’s about believing in yourself and saying, ‘This wasn’t right for me. I can move on and do something better’.”
Matt: “Finding the strength to put your foot down and move on can be very difficult. Especially in abusive relationships, mustering up the courage to even attempt to leave can take multiple attempts, but when you finally get away it starts the journey to happiness.”
‘Reflections’ is out on August 11 via SharpTone Records.
