Suffer Just to Believe is the 2014 EP from Trade Wind released throughhh Other People Records. It marks the inception of Trade Wind, and the beginning of the creative evolution they have since gone through. "Suffer Just to Believe" could be considered Trade Wind’s “heaviest” release both in terms of sound but not necessarily content given that the lyrical depth Trade Wind covers is far beyond the themes most bands cover. Within this release and future albums the band covers topics of loss, moving on, self-empowerment, taking a positive mental outlook to a painful reality, among many others;
"Suffer Just to Believe" is rooted in pain.
Opening with Fixed Blade, an atmospheric song chronicling a toxic relationship taking its toll while not letting you loose from its grip. Hauntingly reminiscent of a connection or even habit you may have that is slowly chipping away at you. For us, we related to Fixed Blade as a mindset. The voice in our head that we can’t shake, it cuts into us and for some reason we cherish the pain. Interpret it in your own way, and this record opens up a new world of depth that can only be entered once evoked.
The record then fades into Pulling Strings which slows the tempo of the record down, bringing us further into the world of Trade Wind.
A common thought we keep coming back to is there is no greater enemy than yourself, and that intrinsic battle is what many of us face everyday. Pain Is a Gift and Dead Leaves respectively capture that dismal feeling through a situational lens. “There's no right or wrong when you're already gone. I move slow. My compass spins like there's nowhere to go” the lyrics go deeper than the surface, offering insight to real struggles people face and a solution that many feel is just out of reach. "Suffer Just to Believe" is a record we play when we want to think or contemplate past mistakes and future ambitions. It’s a record that when you spin it, demands your full attention.
The atmosphere is crafted from the emotion, lyrical content, and progressive post-rock instrumentals. If you’re looking for a quality record to add but are looking for something outside of hardcore, metal, and alternative, we highly recommend this record as well as the other releases from Trade Wind // Other People Records.
Grab a copy of other Trade Wind releases ("Suffer to Believe" is sold out on vinyl) at: https://otherpeoplerecords.store/collections/trade-wind
Variant pictured: second pressing of Trade Wind's first release "Suffer Just To Believe" 12” on cotton candy swirl vinyl with a silver foil LP jacket. Limited to 272 copies. Album released June, 2014.