PREMIERE Total Pleasure, 'Fear of Passing'

Gazing above into the plains and places beyond the temporal with Total Pleasure; press photos courtesy @luvflxrist.

The sum of hurt, traumas, dramas, fears, and all the things that shake up the subterranean systems of our consciousness affect us all in unique ways. The things that crawl into our perception, or the foreground of thoughts when we least expect them to are disruptive to our lives. What we do with this deep seeded baggage is different for all of us. Expressive catharsis can channel these maligned energies into places of creative and construct manners of art, and therapeutic exercises that have the power to turn the page toward brighter horizons than we ever thought possible. Through the stages of wallowing in the abyss of things that can be difficult to comprehend and accept, to making it out intact on the other side; we can discover that new worlds and personal discoveries are indeed possible.

Facing down these torrents of weeping and gnashing of teeth are LA’s own Total Pleasure, releasing their debut EP Fear of Passing via à La Carte Records. Developed over the course of the past four years, the quartet of Andrew Peña, Chris Medina, Brian Ramirez, and Jonathan Carias deliver six of their most realized songs to date that shine with a vulnerable emotive light adorned by goth tinged keys and strings. The quiet spaces of introspection are exhibited as personal cathedral chambers ordained with tapestries, relics, spiritual representations and other evocative items manifested by the most sentimental and saudade cisterns found in the sacred solemnity of the soul's ornate marble ruins.

The entrance of Fear of Passing brings you to "The Gates", a driving rhythmic force that feels both foreboding, fascinating, and full of gentle reluctance and intrigue that compels the listener forward to discover the intersections where restless dreams meet the gravel of realities. "Still Life" stands at the foyer with an air of sophistication that carries over from the heartbeat inflected rush of the opener that arrives at a house of many mansions ordained with frescos that present meaningful moments that light the intimate galleries of the mind's hall of guarded memories.

Embarking upon the azure stairways with Total Pleasure; press photo courtesy @luvflxrist.

The tenuous calm is interrupted with the incessant motions of "Constant Moving" that is dotted with the serious, yet sparkling chords that are reminiscent of the sound that water makes when met with the population of pebbles and stones that line the holistic routes of a trickling brook. These senses dearly rush into "Hard to Feel" that wrestles with the blocks and fronts that we put up as defense mechanisms. Atmospheric synths trace skyward as the guitars, percussion, and vocals look for ways to break down the boundaries that prevent us from experiencing it all in the most genuine ways of being present with our own feelings. This dovetails into the anxious gallops of mental health struggles on "Dreadful Day"; battles of yearning, inner conflicts, struggles, and so on: striving to move forward while combatting the traumas that perpetuate the states of suspended animation and arrested developments.

Posted up on the steps with Total Pleasure; press photo courtesy @luvflxrist.

Fear of Passing concludes with "Tell Me Everything", a song that reaches out for deeper dialogues. The quest for a better understanding of ourselves, others, and the worlds we inhabit. A desire to be more proactive listener. A need for healthy relationships, and the ability to effectively express feelings and define both needs needs and boundaries alike. Total Pleasure brings us the record we never knew we needed, one that speaks to the unspoken sections of our selves and the most unruly corners of the soul that are too often woefully ignored and neglected by our own hyperactive consciousnesses.

Between laughter and tears, pleasure and pain with Total Pleasure’s Jonathan Carias; press photo courtesy @luvflxrist.

Jonathan Carias of Total Pleasure provided the following privy insights on the band’s creative process in the making of the Fear of Passing:

My writing process is generally pretty passive, but I do take my time to really digest the music and find a space I think I'II fit in. Since our first release, I've tried to blend in with all the instruments. I don't necessarily want to stand out. I want to fill what I consider to be gaps.

Total Pleasure all together; press photos courtesy @luvflxrist.

I wrote lines over time and slowly, but surely pieced everything together. There was so much going on my life and I had a lot to say, but I tried my best to speak on what was most important to me. I was dealing with loss, friendships ending and new ones beginning, and relationship troubles. Fear of Passing was written over a long period of time and a big transitional period of all of our lives. We we're all struggling with our own issues in one way or another and it caused the typical ups and downs of being in a band.
That fueled a lot of what I'm saying as well.

Total Pleasure live; press photo courtesy @luvflxrist.

Feeling unhappy, feeling regret, feeling like I wasn't where I wanted to be. I also tried to step out of my comfort zone and write better lyrics and sing in a range that was more comfortable for me. That made my process feel smoother because I was being more true to myself.

Cutting up the chords in real time with Total Pleasure; press photo courtesy @luvflxrist.

Total Pleasure’s Fear of Passing is available now via à La Carte Records.