Winnipeg hardcore act Every Second Counts released a double single, “Math Ain’t Mathing” / “MOUTH TRAUMA,” on streaming platforms on September 11. Both tracks are from their upcoming EP, When the Heart Rots, due out November 6.
It often starts with a riff, and such was the case with “Math Ain’t Mathing” which the band first put out on Bandcamp on August 28. As vocalist Andrew Sookram shares, once the song took shape, he couldn’t wait for others to hear it.
“The riff got me so excited the second I heard it, and the lyrics and phrasing fell into place almost immediately. The first line I wrote is actually the last line of the song, “sick of living in interesting times.” It’s a play on the old curse, “may you live in interesting times.” I just found myself thinking about that phrase. […] That’s really where the title comes from too. “Math Ain’t Mathing” is that feeling when you look at everything happening and the numbers just don’t add up, like something’s fundamentally wrong and has been for a long time, but everyone’s supposed to carry on like it’s fine. The song is about being exhausted by that, sick of running a race you know you can’t win.”
“But there’s positivity buried in it. Admitting something’s broken is the first step to fighting for something better. We just have to keep going and keep fighting for better places and communities we live in,” Andrew tells Musiknights.
The musicians spent about a year developing the tracks before recording them at Private Ear Recording, the well-known Winnipeg studio run by John Paul Peters and Vanessa Peters. According to Andrew, it had long been their dream studio, since many of their favorite bands had recorded there. The band’s bassist Kyle Monkman mastered the songs.
On September 11, Every Second Counts shared the stage with Moneen, Clipwing, Screaming At Traffic and GMH at SOS Fest, Winnipeg. Their next local show is on November 26 with Canadian progressive metal band Protest the Hero.
Every Second Counts is a Winnipeg hardcore band with roots in the city’s early-2000s scene. Guitarist Dan Forte and vocalist Andrew Sookram had played together for years before member changes and life stalled the project. The two later reconnected with former bandmates to revive it, and the lineup solidified earlier this year with Jordan Heavysege on drums and Ronnie Friesen on second guitar, alongside Kyle Monkman on bass. They have opened for Comeback Kid and Norma Jean.
Every Second Counts online:
https://www.instagram.com/everysecondcounts204
Cover photo — Bandcamp