- Words Notion Staff
In 'I Never Liked You (Anyway...)', The Earth & All Within pit snarling guitars against cinematic strings.
A violin takes a swing at an electric guitar, and both win. That’s the energy of ‘I Never Liked You (Anyway…)’, the electrifying new single from The Earth & All Within, where snarling riffs and cinematic strings crash together in a glorious, high-voltage brawl. It’s a defiant middle finger wrapped in a string section tuxedo, equal parts rock opera and barroom brawl.
The track lands alongside the debut self-titled album from Philadelphia singer-songwriter James Ellis, a fearless fusion of raw emotion, orchestral grandeur, and unapologetic rock energy. “It was such a novel idea, a rock band with a string section. It felt like something that should have already existed, so I went ahead and did it myself,” James says.
Kicking off with a Strokes-style minimalist riff, the song detonates into a chorus that channels Foo Fighters, AC/DC, and Van Halen before spiralling into a duelling solo showdown between guitar and violin. “This was one of those songs that came out in 10 minutes,” James says. “Once the chorus hook came to mind, I knew exactly what the song was.”
Part of a larger conceptual rock opera, The Earth & All Within dives deep into resilience, mental health, and the beauty of chaos. With ‘I Never Liked You (Anyway…)’, James doesn’t just blur the line between the mosh pit and the symphony hall, he erases it.