CALLING ALL CAPTAINS KICK START 2026 WITH NEW EMOTIONALLY CHARGED EP
EP REVIEW | CALLING ALL CAPTAINS – THE THINGS THAT I’VE LOST by Craig Harston
Edmonton, Canada’s Calling All Captains are unleashing their brand spanking new EP, ‘The Things That I’ve Lost’ upon the world – seven tracks of emotionally charged punk rock that finds the foursome demonstrating some their most mature song-writing yet!
Whether intentional or not, ‘The Things That I’ve Lost’ is a concept EP of sorts, with each song loosely telling the story of the various stages following a disintegrated relationship. ‘Stay Away’ kicks things off with it’s focus on how broken we can feel in those initial days, putting the blame on ourselves and experiencing all the anxieties and emotions that come with it. It’s a blistering punk rock song that goes hard on the bridge. An absolutely fantastic riff follows on ‘Call Me’ (check out that twist at the end of each bar!), the song itself focussing on that ‘needy’ stage of moving on while also finding the strength to be comfortable in a new state of alone-ness – something that continues into ‘A New Kind Of Grey’, a song that starts off a little melancholy before some seriously heavy guitars kick in, with lyrics about trying to be happy with ourselves and an absolutely fierce refrain!
Marking the halfway point of the EP, ‘Blood For Blood’ is a brutal takedown on coming face to face with yourself, “This song is an imaginary confrontation between you and the worst version of yourself,” the band explains, “It’s about coming to terms with the corner of your mind called darkness. Understanding that darkness can be terrifying but freeing, even if it creates internal struggle. This song represents the conflict of emotions within one soul, and how those emotions shape our choices.” It’s one heck of a song, heavy, dark and emotional!
‘Say That You Hate Me’ continues with a little of the heaviness found on ‘Blood For Blood’ but is interspersed with lighter moments as Calling All Captains continue the thread of aiming to move on, looking for closure and how much easier it can be if the other party can admit that they hate them with no ambiguity. ‘Dark Clouds’ meanwhile is a look at trying to get back into the world, featuring a fantastic riff throughout and an excellent refrain targeting ‘fairweather friends’ (“Were you there for the fallout, Were you there to see just how much I lost”) followed by a really great guitar solo! The EP ends with a little hope on ‘Salt Lines’, a post-hardcore song with one eye on the horizon, played a little downbeat with chugging guitars and gets a little industrial in places.
‘The Things That I’ve Lost’ is further proof that Canada are producing some truly great bands under the punk rock umbrella right now, and Calling All Captains absolutely deserve your ears throughout 2026 – the songs found here demonstrate a band with many strings to their musical bow and will absolutely hit you right in the feels!
‘The Things That I’ve Lost’ releases on 9th January via New Damage Records and will be available wherever you stream your music.
