Track By Tracks: Polar - Five Arrows (2024)

1. We Won’t Sleep:

We Won’t Sleep is the black sheep of Five Arrows and what better way to start an album. The energy of the song really sets the tone for the whole album, We Won’t Sleep was the explosion we were looking for. With Polar starting a brand new era, it opened the doors wide open to experiment with the band’s sound and when writing this song with our producer Jack Murphy (Crystal Sounds Studios) we said there are no boundaries musically and we let him cook and the song became this absolute monster. We took a lot of influence from bands like Beastie Boys and Limp Bizkit, to really lock in that bounce and grove. Lyrically it’s about the resilience and determination we had shown as a band and that we were not going to lay down die without a fight.

2. UNKILLABLE:

This song was one of the first songs we wrote for Five Arrows, and we had discussed taking the Hardcore sound that Polar had developed over the years and combining that with a modern EDM production UNKILLABLE was the track we experimented with, with this new fusion of sound. We wanted to bring to life the raw energy of our live show and fuse it together with this newfound production, we wanted to make people feel like they are having a heart attack when they are listening to it. During the process of writing the album we had a real feeling of being invincible and we wanted to put that into words.

3. A New Mentality:

A New Mentality is about accepting change, moving forward, and embracing growth. The positivity we had created was pushing and inspiring us, it became our drive and that’s what you get from A New Mentality. This song has a traditional Polar feel to it and is bursting with positivity from start to finish.

4. House of Cards:

This track is about expressing the emotions that I felt when the old chapter of Polar ended when the original members and I parted ways, it was unfortunately in bad blood. The vocal delivery and lyrics are venomous, and this song encapsulates the anger that I felt during the demise of the old era. Musically it’s a clash of old-school hardcore and modern-day drum and bass, which is relentless to the very end.

5. Dawn of a New Age

Dawn of a New Age is about being hunted and killed for what you love, and I really felt that when the new era of Polar started, we were a wounded animal being preyed on over a night just waiting for the morning light for our survival. It’s a really anthemic song but has a really underlining feeling of desperation, to create a feeling of a heartbeat racing while being chased not knowing if you will survive or not.

6. All Hail the Tyrant:

This song is all about going to war and fighting to the bitter end. It’s a white knuckle ride and the song has a lot of twists and turns and one of the biggest drops in the middle eight, and it stomps all over you. All Hail the Tyrant is pure destruction and aggression from the very start, so strap yourselves in.

7. Swimming with Sharks:

A lot changed in the relationships around me and there was a fracture amongst everyone I used to know because the shared thought was that Polar should have ended. I felt like I was bleeding out in shark-infested waters just waiting to be attacked and nobody cared for my survival but just wanted to tear me apart. Musically I feel we captured the feeling of being in a shark attack, as the track is very volatile, and it really digs deep into the hardcore sound with the electronic backdrop to it.

8. Soak it In Tragedy:

Soak It in Tragedy is a very somber moment in the album, it allows you to catch your breath. The song softly builds to this huge atmospheric ending, accompanied by a poem that tells you about the heart-breaking moments which led to the breakdown of the original lineup and that we had pushed each other so far apart that we no longer resembled the bond we once had.

9. The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Violence:

This is one the shortest tracks on the album and I thought the name was ridiculous, so I ran with it, and I think it’s the longest name that Polar has used for any song to date. This song has a strong pulse and there is no let-up at all, it's pure aggression. The concept for this song really came from learning to live in the hostile world we all now live in; it struck me to the core how aggressive and unapologetic humanity has become. It causes me pain to see and witness acts of mindless violence and the trail of destruction that it causes.

10. Paranoia (feat Cage Fight & Rachel Aspe):

When going through the lowest points in the past few years, there have been periods where I have heavily battled this feeling, weighing heavily in my mind and putting immense pressure on my mental health. Putting the feeling into song/words has been a therapy to me and we are incredibly honored to have Rachel Aspe (Cage Fight) guesting on the track. Rachel brings a whole new level of aggression and makes the track so evil, that really brings to life the concept of my mind battling against the crushing feeling of Paranoia.

11. NEED/WANT (feat Ellie Price):

We wanted to bring back Polar’s long-time collaborator Ellie Price, because it wouldn’t feel like a Polar record without her. Everything we do with Ellie turns to gold, but this track is truly special and hits you right in the heart. It’s got a grunge feel to it and lyrically we discuss the feeling of being at the lowest point and pushed to decide whether you live or die. It’s a bittersweet moment on the record, the track gives you pleasure tinged with sadness and pain.

12. Closing Curtain:

It’s the perfect resolution for the album, it’s a really uplifting song that discusses the subject of one door closing and another door opening. As we look forward to the future, we have a new story to write and new memories to make along the way. This is the beginning of a bright future for the new era of Polar, as Five Arrows ends.