Origins is our recurring feature series that gives artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, Origami Angel takes us through “JUDGE,” a track from their newest EP DEPART.
On Friday (September 30th), D.C. emo duo Origami Angel surprise-released re: turn, an acoustic, three-song EP that showcased the band at their most stripped-back. Today (October 3rd), they have unleashed another surprise, the hard-as-nails DEPART.
“The idea for DEPART actually grew from the re: turn EP,” vocalist and guitarist Ryland Heagy tells Consequence. “We knew we were going to try a few songs in a more stripped-back acoustic fashion, but also thought it would be fun to explore a much heavier side of this band.”
The fusing of these two sides of Origami Angel — their softer, more optimistic impulses and their metal-core, mosh-worthy desires — has always been the band’s secret sauce. Their 2019 debut Somewhere City (which we just named one of our Top 15 Emo Albums of the Last 15 Years) perfectly intertwined the two styles, and 2021’s Gami Gang saw the band simultaneously get softer and heavier.
With re: turn and DEPART, fans are treated to an interesting, split-brain approach. Separately, each serves as a concentrated sample of what Origami Angel has to offer. Together, the juxtaposition heightens each EP’s respective tone. The easy-on-the-ear quality of songs like “penn hall” makes the noisy breakdowns of tracks like “JUDGE” hit all that much harder, and “JUDGE” returns the favor by making the oasis of “penn hall” even sweeter.
“The end result was a musically freeing experience that felt even fresher to us,” Heagy adds, “and we love the way they play off of each other dynamically.”
Check out Origami Angel’s DEPART below, followed by Ryland Heagy’s breakdown of the Origins of “JUDGE.”