With Sails Ahead is a punk/rock/dance band that combines the thrill of metal with the tasty earworm melodies of pop. Or rather, as they say on their official website, their sound “melds the genre with dueling, metallic leads and soaring, distorted vocals, all through a pop lens”. As Pride Month was coming to a close, this pop-punk outfit had decided to dedicate their emotional version of Evanescence’s “Call Me When You’re Sober” to a meaningful cause. As stated on the group’s Bandcamp:
“As Pride Month concludes, we wanted to put up this track that we made a long time ago, exclusively available on Bandcamp. All proceeds from purchases of this cover will go towards our bandmates’ future gender-affirming surgeries.”
The song begins with a low, exposed piano and voice. The original Evanescence song had a much darker vocal timbre, and while the guitars in this version remain dark, the lead vocalist has opted to bear it all with a bright, warm timbre (and fewer harmonies). The original also had obvious vocal doubling, whereas With Sails Ahead’s iteration has a very smooth & focused vocal production.
The wall of guitars, cohesive, pulling…a la Dance Gavin Dance, whereas Sierra Binondo’s vocals are reminiscent of that of Chrissy Costanza meets Jessica Li. The C section in this one is heavy and chuggy, making the words ‘must be exhausting to lose your own game’ just hit different. This song from 15 years ago has now taken on a new meaning inside this group’s fresh interpretation.
