Pulley Prayer from Never Rewind by Cuewrath

The track descends into the hushed, cold geometry of a dormant stage. It's where chalked numbers on a pulley bank become quiet vows, etched into the air like breath condensing in winter. This piece unfurls the rigger's story, hunched and calculating, each chain tap a rhythmic prayer against the potential for failure. The staccato hi-hats mimic the nervy flick of a wax pencil, while the baritone's low thrum carries the weight of every dropped sandbag the ropes have ever remembered. There's a subtext here, a strange liturgy woven into the groaning knots and gear ghosts; it's the quiet resolve of those who tend the fragile craft, pushing forward against the inevitable fray. The call-and-response with the crew chant, a raw, almost desperate unison, transforms individual dread into a clenched-fist solidarity, hammering home the album's recurring defiance: "Forward or fray, we still rise." This is the sound of making peace with the grind, finding sacred purpose in the industrial hum, and refusing to rewind, even when everything screams quit.

Cuewrath: We started with a scream. Our noise tears at your insides. It's not pretty. It's real.