Sounding sharpened by time rather than worn down by it, Calling All Captains return with The Things That I’ve Lost (January 9th). The EP captures a band that has lived inside its own history. They don’t romanticise it, but they interrogate it with clarity and control. Across the seven tracks, the quartet channel exhaustion, grief, and persistence into infectious carefully built songs.
From the opening moments of “Stay Away”, the band establishes a balance between urgency and restraint. The guitars drive forward with purpose, but never overwhelm the structure. Tim Wilson’s drumming gives the songs momentum without excess by letting tension build naturally rather than relying on constant escalation. Not only does that sense of discipline carry throughout the EP, it becomes one of its defining strengths.
Luc Gauthier’s vocal performance emotionally anchors the record. His delivery carries strain without slipping into melodrama, especially on tracks like “Call Me” and “A New Type of Grey”, where the weight of burnout and fractured identity is communicated through pacing and tone instead of theatrics. Luc explains,
This is the most personal release we’ve ever put out. These songs came from reflecting on everything we’ve been through, personally and as a band. It’s raw, but it’s real. And I think people will feel that.
That honesty shows in how the songs are shaped and not just what they express.
The middle stretch of the EP sharpens its focus with “Blood For Blood” and “Say That You Hate Me” leaning into confrontation by pairing tight melodic hooks with arrangements that feel coiled and deliberate. The dual guitar and vocal interplay adds dimension and creates moments of lift without abandoning the grit that defines the band’s identity. There is a clear sense of growth, one that is not in polish, but in confidence.
Closing tracks “Dark Clouds” and “Salt Lines” pull the record inward and favour reflection over release. These songs feel resolved, not because they offer easy answers, but because they accept uncertainty as part of the process. The Things That I’ve Lost ends without grand gestures. It instead chooses to sit with what remains.Calling All Captains translates personal reckoning into focused and durable punk rock that understands when to push and when to hold back and The Things That I’ve Lost is a concise release that carries weight through intention by marking a clear step forward for a band that knows exactly who it is and why it still matters.
