REVIEWS
Hold Close have released their debut album, titled “Time.”
Hold Close are a band whose music I really enjoyed in the past, and while this debut record is different and more experimental, I loved the record as much as their other material.
The title track starts things off on an interesting note with almost country-sounding guitar riffs, accompanied by a simple drum beat. The verse comes in not long after, with the vocals singing the words “You know time will always heal, but I can’t be too sure, because I can’t help how I feel, so I tell myself that time will always heal.” After that, the instrumentals really kick in make the song a harder hitting one. Second up is “Hang Tight,” which is easily one of the more pop punk leaning songs on here, with guitars and drums providing a lot of energy and great performances, and the vocals delivering equally as catchy melodies. Following that is one of my favorites on the record, “Breath.” It starts out softer at first, leading up to the line “your last breath, I’ll never forget” at the end of the pre chorus, which is when the vocalist starts to show more emotion in the performance. The instrumentals help build the song up to a huge chorus with even more emotion not only in the performances, but in the lyrics as well: “Is death a normal thing to fear, does the hurt and the love disappear?Sometimes I pretend like you’re still here. Will you meet me in the troposphere?” “Cast Me Away” is a bit more upbeat with some harder hitting instrumentals, and brings a huge chorus that makes the song even more memorable. Similarly to “Hang Tight,” this is another track that traces back the band’s pop punk roots a little bit, at least later on. “Who Will?” is another interlude sort of track, and one that shows off the more ambient side of the sound this record has, especially through the guitar riffs. Third single “Tropical Depression” is up next and its kind of similar to the track before it. Softer both vocally and instrumentally, it makes for a different, yet still very entrancing, listen, and it does get a bit louder toward the end, and the same goes for the second chorus on “Here Again,” which makes the song more hard hitting and adds more to it. One of my favorites on this entire record is also one I feel is one of the biggest standouts: “Absent To Reality.” The composition on this one is a lot darker, the bass and drums really shine, and there’s a lot of raw emotion shown not only through the instrumentals, but also the vocals, which I love about the track. After that is the lead single “Cloud9,” one that I feel really encompasses the overall sound of this record. It shows the more ambient side through the guitar work, and the big chorus (with passionate vocals that deliver fantastic melodies) is easily one of the most memorable choruses on the album and proves why this was chosen for the lead single. “Aura” is the last interlude-type track on the record, opening up with acoustic guitar, and the keys added in fit perfectly. The lyrical themes circle back to those on the opening track, talking a bit about how time heals. Finishing out this album is the incredible closer “Separation.” It’s yet another track that starts out softer, as the cleaner guitars drive the rhythm at first, but it isn’t long before the rest of the band comes in to finish the intro on a harder note. For the most part, it’s definitely another one of the more upbeat and pop punk leaning tracks on the record, and I love how both the vocalist and all the instrumentalists get to show off their individual talents as each performance shines throughout the track. Hold Close have created a very interesting debut. While they did a lot of experimentation, there are still moments on here that trace back to the band’s pop punk roots, providing a good amount of balance and variety for the album and making it a pretty good release from this band. LISTEN TO THE ALBUM HERE:
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