The pandemic was one of the most single-handedly destructive forces for the music industry over the last few years. Forced lockdowns made bands put a hold on record releases and tour dates, causing issues for everyone involved. For Cypher16, the return to normalcy in recent months means they can finally get back to putting out new music.
As their first single off their sophomore album It’s a Long Way Back (From This Road), this song has some punchy guitar and rhythms front and center, while the vocals have an almost hard rock/industrial sound to it. It’s a really interesting melding of styles that makes the song worth listening to.
Cypher16 vocalist Jack Doolan said the new song and upcoming album took entirely too long in his eyes and that he was glad it will finally be in people’s hands when it releases sometime next year via Constant Evolution Records.
Well, it’s been a long time coming! We actually finished this record off in December 2019 at Abbey Road in London with a view to get it out in 2020, and then the world got turned upside down. As a result of the pandemic and various other things that I won’t go into right now, we’ve had some lengthy time away from music and some internal changes take place. We’re so grateful to everyone who continues to be around Cypher16, past and present and right now the vibe is the best it has been for a long time. We had a great trip out in Finland over the summer playing our first show back (Rockfest), so now it’s time to start the engines up again and get on with the job!
As for the single itself, Doolan said the track focused on some of the band’s personal tribulations over the years and what they continue dealing with.
It’s a pretty dark song just touching on some of the personal challenges some of us have faced, and continue to face, every day. We very nearly lost people in Cypher16 over the last couple of years, and it’s safe to say the situation is still pretty dangerous right now. We hope people who struggle can identify with some of the stuff mentioned. Our door is also always open to anyone who wants to get in touch to talk. We all know who, and what, we are,