Inland Empire based pop-punk group Assuming We Survive is back with their latest EP: The Enemy Within. This EP follows their last EP, Chapters, released in 2018, and marks their first release on Invogue Records. Assuming We Survive has never shied away from being honest and raw in their music. In just four songs, vocalist Adrian Estrella gives a small glimpse of his life over the past year, after going through a divorce and rebuilding his life all over again. The Enemy Within is as open and true as ever.
The EP starts with the first single “Too Close,” for which they also dropped a music video. This song is discussing addiction, along with the spiral of hurting those you love the most and pushing them away without meaning to. The track “Prisoner” follows. The music video for “Prisoner” is a continuation of “Too Close.” The songs both tell the story of a man who lost his entire family in a drunk driving car accident and shows the vengeful thoughts that go through the man’s head. This track is then followed by “Lost.” This track is a newer vibe than the first two on the EP, beginning at a slow pace, before picking up and gaining energy and then slowing back down again for the finale. This track discusses letting go of the past and letting go of a relationship after trying and trying to make it work.
The lyrics, “I’m letting go/whoa now/I’m driving down this two-lane road/always going too fast/are we gonna crash/the death of us both/I’m letting go,” really express the theme and message clearly. The album concludes with the song “Smile Sometime.” This is one of my favorite tracks on the whole EP. It is a much more fun upbeat track, while still displaying a similar message and following the overall theme with the previous three songs.
Overall, The Enemy Within is a fun, upbeat EP with an important message. Assuming We Survive have never been afraid to focus on a more serious topic, and they laid it all out on the table on this release. This is only the beginning for them, and I cannot wait to see where they go from here.
Assuming We Survive is currently on a headlining tour across the U.S. with We Were Sharks and Never Loved; you can grab tickets here.
You can stream The Enemy Within here.
