Music is all about wearing your heart on your sleeve but Holding Absence bear heart, soul and spirit on theirs. It’s this honesty within their music that’s seen their fan base swell, and it’s seen them slowly but steadily climb a promising trajectory.
Their newest track ‘Penance’ is another brutal tug on the heartstrings. Following on from their first two singles ‘Dream Of Me’ and ‘Permanent’, this single follows in similar footsteps – mighty riffs rise and crash atop of thunderous drum work, creating an ethereal atmosphere. Combined with Lucas Woodland’s haunting vocals and lyrics, such as “I am enough to feel happiness and love / It’s hard to say out loud / I deserve to be happy now”, Holding Absence have created yet another devastatingly beautiful song.
However, it’s not just the lyrics and musicianship that make this track stunning – the creative visuals, shot in black and white, are truly harrowing and add far more depth to this song. When you add that to their music, it’s hard to not fall in love with Holding Absence and all their work.
Last summer, Heirsound released their first EP, ‘Merge’. It was an utterly fantastic release (and still is) but seemed to suggest that the New York-based duo were sticking to what they knew: alternative rock.
However, over the course of the year they’ve grown and changed, flirting with various different genres, including pop, RnB and hip hop. Their last release ‘Layers, Vol. 1’ was a perfect example of this and it blew me away – the chop and change of the short EP kept me on my toes, and it was a very welcome change from the band’s older material.
Heirsound have continued to refuse to stick to the norm and their new single demonstrates the duo’s ever changing and growing talent. ‘Lacuna’ sees the duo pair emotional lyrics with a simple yet powerful drum beat and slick, melodic riffs. And, as always, the vocal interplay between Alexa San Roman and Dane Petersen is both awe-inspiring and beautiful; their soulful voices complement one other perfectly, giving this emotive track even more depth.
The next instalment to the ‘Layers’ series is released on Friday 02 June.
JESS TAGLIANI
When listening to any one of Bad Sign’s new singles – take your pick from their latest offering ‘Square One’, ‘Closure’, ‘Rebuild’ and more – it’s almost incredulous to think that they’ve only released one EP so far, and that was back in 2014 with ‘Destroy’. Each track they release contain jaw-dropping riffs and meticulous drum work, complete with a thumping tempo.
Newest track ‘Square One’ is no different. From start to end, it smacks with power and, topped with Joe Appleford’s incredible and mighty vocals, it simply shows what the majority know: that Bad Sign are ones to take very, very seriously as the year progresses. Combine their stellar tracks with their utterly fantastic live setting, and you have one hell of a band.
Do not sleep on Bad Sign any longer. When they next hit the road, you’ll want to witness this magic for yourself.