Recorded during the FEVEREATEN sessions, the track reveals a striking new dimension of the band’s sound. Haunting yet expansive, it trades their usual abrasive immediacy for towering waves of reverb, atmospheric instrumentation, and emotionally raw vocal delivery while maintaining the band’s signature intensity.

Speaking about the release, vocalist Amy Walpole says: “And you thought we stopped at Fevereaten! We were sneaky and recorded something else special to save for later! ‘I Reflect the Sun, It Bounces Back’ is one we thought deserved its own special release. Different from anything we’ve done before, we ask you to listen all the way through and let it take u somewhere ”

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The shoegaze-tinged, vulnerable ‘SAFE’ is a bittersweet ballad about a relationship turned friendship – with a unique tenderness to it that’s new to Witch Fever.

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Amy Walpole (vocals/lyrics) explains, “I wrote ‘FEVEREATEN’ when I realised I couldn’t stop myself writing about the church. It’s about feeling drained by that fixation and being consumed by intrusive thoughts. I’m angry that I struggle more than others and feel like a burden – but I’m also determined to hold onto that anger and use it productively.”

Following earlier singles ‘THE GARDEN’ – a distorted alt-rock rallying cry against patriarchal control – and ‘DEAD TO ME!’, which blends raw punk with a more experimental edge, ‘FEVEREATEN’ oscillates between punishing metal riffs and haunting gothic interludes, pushing the band’s sound into even darker territory.

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Since forming in 2017, Witch Fever – Amy Walpole (vocals/lyrics), Alex Thompson (bass), Alisha Yarwood (guitar), and Annabelle Joyce (drums) –  have leaped to the forefront of a flourishing UK alternative scene without really fitting into any of its pockets. Fusing punk ferocity with gothic unease, doom-laden atmospherics, and raw vulnerability, the band’s 2022 debut Congregation drew critical acclaim for its cathartic power and blistering intensity. Now, with FEVEREATEN, they push their sound further into uncharted territory.

Produced by Chris W. Ryan (NewDad, Just Mustard, Enola Gay), FEVEREATEN is the result of a deliberate and expansive creative process. Heavier, darker, and stranger than its predecessor, the record draws from metal, ambient, hardcore, and slowcore, layering cello, noise textures, and haunting melodies atop their ever-pummeling foundation. “We wanted to sound bigger,” says Thompson. “To push our sound in ways we couldn’t in a room together.”

Nowhere is this sonic growth clearer than in ‘THE GARDEN’. Opening with a distorted alt-rock riff, the song ebbs and crashes like a tidal wave, with Walpole subverting the Garden of Eden myth into a rallying cry against patriarchal control. The track is Witch Fever’s second single this year, following ‘DEAD TO ME!’, which blended their trademark raw, breakneck punk with a fuller, more experimental sound.

Speaking about the album and ‘THE GARDEN’, the band said: “FEVEREATEN is raw, vulnerable, haunting and furious. Where our debut album Congregation dealt with my experience growing up in a Charismatic Christian church head on, FEVEREATEN takes a step back, finding horror in the subtleties of dealing with religious trauma, as well as mental health struggles, relationships and nearing 30 in a world that’s eating itself alive. Whilst the album is dark and unforgiving in places it is also heartfelt and joyful in others. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and asks you to find excitement and life in difficult times.

“It was an absolute delight to write and record together. In the studio we bounced off our producer Chris’ excitement and ended up with a piece of work that we’re so proud of and excited to share. Chris is so talented and their enthusiasm for music and production is infectious. We hope it haunts you as it has haunted us, in a good way of course.”

Lyrically, FEVEREATEN continues to draw from Walpole’s past in the Charismatic Church, but now from a perspective of clarity and reclamation. The album’s title speaks to the gothic intensity and emotional extremes at its core – the feeling of being consumed by trauma, history, or identity. “It’s about being on the edge but never quite falling off,” says Walpole, who was diagnosed with autism during the writing process – a moment that reframed much of her life and creative output. The result is a body of work that doesn’t just rage against the past, but tries to make peace with it.

FEVEREATEN:

1. DEAD TO ME!
2. FINAL GIRL
3. THE GARDEN
4. NORTHSTAR
5. DRANK THE SAP
6. SAFE
7. FEVEREATEN
8. BURN TO HIT
9. SEE YA NEXT TUESDAY
10. REPRISE
11. AMBER
12. I SEE IT

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Bridging the gap between their critically acclaimed 2022 debut album, Congregation, and their next chapter, ‘Dead To Me’ combines Witch Fever’s trademark raw, breakneck punk with a fuller, more experimental sound. The Manchester four-piece has already been playing the track live, harnessing its livid energy into a moment of collective catharsis from festival stages to sweaty venues. On record, that anger is whipped up into a full blown tempest.

Produced by Chris W Ryan (NewDad, Just Mustard, Enola Gay), ‘Dead To Me’ embraces heavier influences and darker atmospherics. Bassist Alex Thompson took the lead, beginning with a bassline and building out from there, with guitarist Alisha Yarwood playing with noise and texture over riffs, while drummer Annabelle Joyce incorporates double bass pedal and more dynamic patterns. Propelled by the thunderous instrumental, vocalist/lyricist Amy Walpole careens between screaming fits and soft, serpentine verses layered with dissonant harmonies.

“We really wanted to sound bigger,” says Alex. “We wanted to push our sound in ways that we wouldn’t be able to do if we were just playing in a room together.”

Thematically, Amy draws on her traumatic experiences growing up in the Charismatic Church, which informed much of Congregation’s lyrical content. Here, though, she speaks from a different emotional vantage point.

Reflecting from a place of clarity rather than confusion, the song unleashes the anger of growing up with the pressures of being all the things girls are expected to be – sweet, cute, and compliant – while also being let down by the institutions in her life that failed in their duty of care, despite the ongoing support of her parents. The lyrics are unforgiving and in your face, leaving little to read into. In Amy’s words: “I’m just saying that all the elders in the church that let me down are dead to me!”

At the same time, the track doubles as a “fuck you” to anyone who deserves it. “When I’m playing it live, there’s a bunch of other people I’m thinking about who are dead to me,” says Alex. “Anyone can listen to it and be like, ‘yeah, fuck this person’ – which is always a fun energy to play with. It’s like a form of release.”

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Today, they share empowering new single ‘Beauty and Grace’, about the standards set for womxn and sees the band go “full rage mode”.

Singer Amy Walpole says of the track, “‘Beauty and Grace’ ended up being the dark horse of the record! Before we went into the studio it wasn’t one of our faves but Sam really brought it out of its shell! The song is about pushing back against oppressive feminine beauty standards whilst also finding a place for femininity that you enjoy and makes you feel powerful !! Femininity is not a weakness, as much as society may tell you it is! If it empowers you and brings you joy it’s a strength!”

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‘I Saw You Dancing’ is a brutalist slab of IDLES-esque bass, as strings rattle the fretboard and trudge the track into life, whilst claustrophobic vocal lines and intense guitar melodies entwine an oppressive atmosphere throughout the duration. It’s a song about singer Amy Walpole’s experiences in the charismatic church she grew up in, and feeling watched by men as a teenage girl.

On the track she says, “This is a song on the album that we’re really excited about as really it’s the first time we’ve written and allowed a song to have space and time to breathe! We’ve been so used to writing quick thrashy tunes it was fun to experiment and write slower ones for the album. We really love the drone of the guitar, the rattle of the bass and the reverb on the snare drum, as well as the vocals being a little more relaxed and expressive”.

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Congregation captures the 4 piece at their heaviest and most challenging yet. Produced by Pigs x7’s Sam Grant at Blank Studios in Newcastle, the album’s 13-tracks incorporate everything from sludge to new wave without lingering in one sound for too long – as a result, every track is built like a brick house – strong riffs and rhythm, but plenty of space within.

The title-track marks a complete departure into delirious post-punk, dragging along at a stalking pace with a sludgy Warpaint-inspired bass riff. Singer Amy Walpole’s voice has also evolved in every respect – the rasps are raspier, the screams more guttural, and the melodic moment cut through with a powerful grace and clarity.

On the single, Walpole said, “This is Alisha’s personal fave! It marks a new step in our development as songwriters as it’s something different from what we’ve done before. We allowed ourselves to experiment with space and dynamics and we love it!”

For the video, it was one of the first times the band worked with such a big team and the result is a polished, high fashion look, styled by Matt King who was behind ‘Blessed Be Thy’ as well as shoots with Shygirl, and Bimini.

Lyrically, Congregation draws largely on Walpole’s experience of growing up in a Charismatic Church – a form of Christianity that emphasises the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and modern-day miracles. She left the church when she was 16, and her parents followed suit two years later. Guitarist Alisha Yarwood also grew up in a church, though not to the same extent as Walpole, and all members agree that the themes of the album – control, abuse of power and patriarchal violence – resonate beyond a religious framework.

Refusing to be confined by gender or genre, Witch Fever have always defied expectations as individuals in society. Now, they’re defying expectations as a band. Congregation is the sound of punk without boundaries of any kind, and with it they are ushering in a new era of heavy music that’s accessible, confrontational and, most importantly of all, a huge pressure release.

Congregation:

1. Blessed Be Thy
2. Beauty and Grace
3. At The Core
4. Congregation
5. Deadlights
6. Market
7. I Saw You Dancing
8. Snare
9. Bloom
10. Sour
11. Bloodlust
12. Slow Burn
13. 12

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