Some Fear Releases Self-Titled Debut Album

some fear, Oklahoma City’s rising band fronted by Branden ‘Bran’ Palesano released their self-titled debut album on Jan. 16th, 2025.

With sounds similar to Duster, Sign Crushes Motorist, and Flatsound, some fear started in 2021 with Palesano’s solo EP, watercolor. Released to Bandcamp, watercolor established the band's slowcore, bedroom rock sound. Hypnotic guitar riffs, eerie piano chords, whispering drums; these are all styles some fear feature in their earlier works. 

The announcement of the album's drop is where Palesano revealed that this is the first collection of songs he wrote himself. Pairing those emotions with the mastery of the slow rock genre, the album starts to feel like a graduation for some fear, introducing them as a powerhouse band. The simple lyrics featured in each song allows the instrumentals to draw the listeners in with its lulling, melancholic sound. The focus on the instrumentation is very noticeable and what sets this album apart from their first EPs and other slow rock bands. The slow drums, melodic guitars, and scratchy harmonies paired with the soft whisper of Palesano’s singing make this album intriguing; it forces you to explore the emotions behind his lyrics. Palesano states that the album has been in the making since 2021, and covers specific events from his life. The gloomy atmosphere and somber tone of the album divulges on the themes of vulnerability and finding your place in the world that Palesano is trying to communicate

The album opens with “Worm,” which expresses feelings of being “down to earth like a worm in the ground” and healing. The melodic guitar and drum riffs repeated throughout the song set the album's somber tones. The song ends with an anxious-sounding repetition that cuts off to the next track, “Skin I Can’t Peel Off–” conversely, this bumping track speaks of being unable to voice your emotions. Palesano’s mind is “at a stalemate,” referencing the chess term for being unable to move without being checked. 

The third track, “The Road” drowns in reverb before exploding into sound as Palesano speaks on the frustration of betrayal. Following, the fourth track “Wake Up” showcases a beautifully slow buildup to the chorus, where Palesano sings “wake up” and the instrumentals begin to speed up, contrasting with the rest of the song. The track ends on anxiety-inducing clashing guitar notes, slowly building into the fifth track “Let It Go.” This track speaks to vulnerability. The lyrics ask “Can you help me?” and acknowledge that he has “been one to let it go;” he knows he needs help, but he doesn’t know how to ask for it, so instead he’ll just let it go. 

Track six, “Game,” features some of the most colorful instrumentals in the album. The quiet guitar strums offer a perfect build-up to explode into a beautifully loud conglomeration, painting a picture that leaves the listeners uncertain about what is coming next. This sense of uncertainty follows into the title track, “some fear.” The unease present in the instruments mirrors the uncertainty in Palesano’s voice as asks “Can we make it? (Just you and I).” 

The album closes with the final track “The Faucet Does All The Crying.” This track perfectly closes out the album, acting as a goodbye from the band as well as a place the band can expand on in future albums. Palesano is saying his home is not truly his home, his emotions aren’t safe there so the running water cries for him. Or maybe, he is talking about how this person he is with isn’t his home, his emotions aren’t safe with this person, and “someday [he’ll] find a place that [he] can call home”.

Despite being the band’s debut, some fear displays the use of many different artistic skills that build a story for the listeners. Given the candidness of the lyrics, it was intriguing to try to dissect them and build on the emotions and thoughts they invoke. Slowcore bedroom rock is a criminally underrated genre of music, and some fear displayed a level of mastery of the sound and emotion associated with that genre. So, be on the lookout for some fear’s next albums, there is so much they have to offer that you won’t want to miss!