B-Side Guys

Musicians rarely get the chance to excavate their own past work, to strip songs down to their bones and discover what remains. Denis Constantine’s “Devouring Self (Unplugged)” does exactly that, translating the emotional intensity of 2010s alternative rock into the language of solo acoustic guitar.

What’s remarkable here isn’t just the technical prowess – though Constantine’s fingerpicking does showcase years of compositional experience – but how the arrangement preserves the architectural complexity of its blogwave origins while creating something entirely new. Each phrase carries echoes of the genre’s characteristic tension and release, but without vocals or effects to lean on, Constantine must let the melody lines do all the heavy lifting.

The production deserves special attention for its restraint. Rather than compensating for the lack of a full band with excessive reverb or layering, Constantine keeps things purposefully stark. This approach transforms what could have been simple genre exercises into something more meditative, suggesting that perhaps these songs were always meant to find this form.

Most compelling is how “Devouring Self” works as both a standalone piece and a commentary on genre evolution. The way certain progressions hint at post-hardcore intensity while resolving into gentler passages feels like watching someone reconcile their past and present musical selves. Constantine’s transformation of what he calls “heart-wrenching” alternative rock into contemplative instrumental work speaks to the malleability of emotion in music – how the same core feelings can be expressed through wildly different vocabularies.

For listeners familiar with the heavier side of alternative music, this track offers a fascinating glimpse at its skeletal structure. For everyone else, it stands as proof that intensity doesn’t always require volume, and that sometimes the most affecting moments come when everything else falls away.