REVIEWS
WRITTEN BY: MEGAN
Holding Absence have released their self-titled debut album.
Holding Absence are a band I’ve had on my radar since practically the beginning of their career. I was immediately drawn to their music after hearing their first two singles, “Permanent” and “Dream Of Me.” Fast forward about two years later, and the group have released their self-titled debut, a release that’s been pretty highly anticipated.
The band dropped four singles prior to the full album’s release, and I feel like the band made perfect choices for which songs were released beforehand. Lead single “Like A Shadow” has quickly become one of the band’s most popular tracks, and from its undeniable energy to the anthemic chorus that’s been stuck in my head since the first listen, it’s clear as to why this one was put out first. Opening track “Perish” was the second single released, and it really sets the tone for the record and shows some of the elements of Holding Absence’s sound that you’ll hear all throughout the rest of the album. The song starts out softer and more atmospheric at first, which drew me in as it led up to the point where the harder hitting instrumentals came in. Intricate guitars and fast paced drums drive the still somewhat softer verses, leading up to a huge chorus that showcases a powerful vocal performance from lead vocalist Lucas Woodland. The track has a good balance of softer, more melodic sections and hard hitting, aggressive ones, both of which show a lot of emotion. Speaking of which - that’s something shown a lot in third single “You Are Everything,” especially as far as lyrics go. I feel like one of the main lyrical themes in this track is about self-improvement and living the life you truly want for yourself and the lyrics themselves range from touching on how difficult it can be at times (“All of the blood, sweat, and tears I shed to drown out the fears”) to encouraging the listeners and reminding them of what they’re worth (“realise you’re enough, you are everything”). The fourth and final single is “Monochrome,” and while it may be a bit similar to “You Are Everything,” the impressive vocals and upbeat rhythm still make the song stand out on its own. With a lot of the tracks on the record, there’s a little bit of variety and quite a few things that make each one stand out a bit amongst some of the others. Much like “Monochrome,” there are a few other energetic and faster-paced tracks, both of which are actually some of my personal favorites on the whole record. “To Fall Asleep” brings a good mix of both clean and unclean vocals, and the chorus brings one of the most emotional and powerful vocal performances this record has to offer - not to mention it’s also one of the catchiest on the whole thing. “Last Of The Evening Light” incorporates some more raw vocals during the chorus, delivering yet another emotional vocal performance as the following lyrics are shouted: “I know the pain may be simply temporary, when will the daylight come for me?”. In addition to the more upbeat and more aggressive tracks found throughout the record, there are a couple that are pretty much polar opposites of that and that really show off the softer side of the band’s sound. “Marigold” is the slightly more simplistic track out of the two, consisting primarily of vocals and piano, and while it is a pretty simple track, it’s still a beautiful ballad. “Purge,” while it is also primarily piano-driven, has some more intricate and complex piano parts, and adds some orchestrals in to help drive the track and add even more to it. The remaining tracks on the album are also some of the biggest standouts on it. “Godsend” also begins on a much softer note both vocally and instrumentally, but around halfway through, the drums help build it up, adding extra emphasis to the track. “Your Love (Has Ruined My Life)” quickly became a favorite, and I could immediately tell why, as it’s one of the catchiest songs on the record in every aspect. The closing track on this album, “Wilt,” may arguably be one of the most impressive ones on this entire release. It starts off slow, as the ambient guitars pair up with hard hitting bass and drums to lead the intro before the vocals come in during the verses, delivering dark and very intriguing melodies that lead up to one of the biggest and best choruses on the record, which shows some of the strongest performances from every member of this band. The bridge is similar to the beginning of the song, as it starts off soft, but the end of that section is a bit more dramatic and builds up to the ending so well. The vocals in the background hit some higher notes, absolutely blowing me away when I first heard it, and the ending finishes out the record perfectly. Holding Absence’s long-awaited debut continues to show off their unique sound. The album has plenty of captivating moments from start to finish and makes a very strong debut for this band. LISTEN TO THE ALBUM HERE:
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