Album Review: Carthreena - Breathe For Tomorrow

Update: As of Dec 2020, Carthreena has disbanded after releasing their acoustic ep of the album, which is available in their Youtube channel.

The Basics

• Band: Carthreena
• Album: Breathe For Tomorrow
• Release: 2018
• Country: Malaysia
• Genre(s): Post-Hardcore/Emo
• Language(s): English and Malay

[Credit: The band's Facebook]

Two versions of album covers for Breathe For Tomorrow

Breathe For Tomorrow (BFT) is Carthreena's first album. 12-song strong with a range of tunes in both English and Malay, it is packed with energy served with a small side of mellow songs to balance things out. Here's the album playlist:

The Songs

Here are my thoughts for each song based on my listening experience, before I give my final thoughts on the whole album. Note: I also added in comments based on listening to these performed live, for comparison.

• We begin with 'Visionary Ghost', which creeps in like a whispering apparition before picking up in intensity, especially towards the middle of the song. It's about 1 minute long, and it really sets the mood for the rest of the album.
• The second song, Cancer, is my favorite English song in the album. It kicks off with a bang (quite literally, with drums haha) - and retains its energy throughout. It's hard not to get hooked by the vocals and fast-paced guitars in this one, and the song sounds amazing live.
• Like Cancer, Defender also grabs attention right from the start -- the burst of energy from the guitar riffs and vocals from the get-go is hard-hitting and won't fail to get the blood pumping.
• Change the World and Malaysia are crowd-friendly 'anthems' as they are upbeat and relatively easy to sing along to. While Change the World is conceptually more optimistic in a general sense, Malaysia, the first Malay song in BFT, is more patriotic.
• Meredah Hujan (lit. "Darting through the Rain") is my favorite in the whole album. I cannot stress how much I love this song: the lyrics - sheer poetry imo - goes hand-in-hand with the melody, a story of bittersweet surrender. The first time I listened to it, I played it in a continuous loop for a week. This song is perfect.
• The Forgotten is the only instrumental song in the album, and its dreamy melody makes me feel like I'm being drifted from one part of the album to another, and waking up to realise that I've washed ashore to the land of Remembrance, which begins with a similar vibe. I like that these two songs are placed in the middle of the album, like a checkpoint for listeners to take a breather before we are expected to change gears again.
• Vices slowly takes the listener up to speed again. As someone who likes the screaming in emo songs, I love minute 2:10 onwards, especially when this part is performed live.
• The energy increases in Transisi Waktu (lit. "Transition of Time"), the third Malay song in the album. In contrast to Vices, both the lyrics and melody feel more optimistic here, and the buildup between 2:30 and 3:00 is cathartic.
• Featuring Dean from Kids on The Move, Streetlights is a good pick-me-up song because it's fun to both dance and rock your head to. Fun fact: During their live shows, the band invites different vocalists (from different genres) to sing Dean's part, so it's a unique song each time!
• Compared to the earlier songs in the list, Remembrance is more subdued as the guys toned down on the drums and guitars, and added some piano for good measure. Apt, perhaps, to emotionally prepare the listener for the next and final song in BFT.
• The album ends with the heart-wrenchingly beautiful Menarilah (lit. "Please dance"). My second favorite in the album, this emo Malay song about love and loss delivers a sense of closure in the most tragic romantic way, like reading a rose-scented handwritten letter from a lover bidding you farewell. I completely recommend listening to this song live. 

The Conclusion

Here's how I would rate different aspects of the album:

• The songs feel like they have been meticulously arranged and produced. While the English songs vary thematically, most of the Malay songs are quintessentially emo in the most delicious way, grabbing me by the heartstrings to make me listen on repeat. 5 / 5
• I have listened to their songs on speaker, headphones, and earphones - the production quality sounds professional. Zero complaints. 5 / 5
• There are two covers for BFT - the first is the original (with an illustration of a bee) and the second is a version they released for their Revival Tour (the 'hooked' C logo). Only the former contains lyrics though, which is something I usually look for in albums. 3¾ / 5
• The album is affordably priced at RM15, although I wouldn't mind paying more considering the quantity and quality of the songs inside it. 5 / 5

From start to end, it's hard to ignore how good Breathe For Tomorrow is, and it's even been vouched for by independent Malaysian music proponents like ROTTW and INDIZZ. Listening to the whole album is a journey I'm glad I took, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially those who are into post-hardcore/emo.

The Socials

Do support the band! Please consider buying their album and merch to support them! You may order their CDs, t-shirts, and other merch via carthreenaband@gmail.com.

Follow and engage with them on their social media too, here:

• Facebook: fb.com/carthreena 
• Instagram: @carthreena_
• Twitter: @carthreenaband
• Spotify: Carthreena
• Youtube: @Carthreena (their music video playlist below)

So yeah.

Have any suggestions of musicians, gigs, or other music-related stuff I should know about or review? Let me know through the comments below!

Cheers!

See: Other reviews I've written.

Last Updated: 2023-01-20