Holding Absence have a imaginative and prescient. The Welsh emo/post-hardcore act possess a eager sense of artistry, that means every of their three albums has arrived as a cohesive aesthetic bundle; musically, thematically, and visually.
In distinction to the summary darkness of their self-titled debut and the moody romanticism of follow-up, The Greatest Mistake Of My Life, the duvet artwork of their newest album, The Noble Art Of Self Destruction, is vivid, sharply composed, and strewn with gold fractures.
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“After overcoming and learning from whatever traumas I’d experienced, I realized I was better for it,” frontman Lucas Woodland explains. “I then came across kintsugi, which involves making something more valuable after it has broken in the first place.”
To make clear: Kintsugi is a Japanese artwork that includes the fractures in an object (normally a ceramic) as half of its design, somewhat than attempting to disguise them. This course of is commonly carried out by infusing gold into the glue that’s used to restore it.
“I realized that this metaphor was something I’d always felt, but had never visualized,” Lucas clarifies. “The other image I had was Michelangelo’s David. A block of marble can become anything, but it needs to be broken first.”
These are potent photographs, that are used on The Noble Art Of Self Destruction’s paintings in addition to in its lyrical motifs and thrillingly alive music. These 10 tracks possess extra urgency than so many of the band’s different weak anthems, however retain the big, open-hearted sound that’s turn out to be their trademark.
The album is infused with a brand new and “clinical,” as Lucas places it, power, reflecting the central theme of rediscovering one’s vitality. “With the writing of this album, we spent a calendar year on the road and wrote it in between,” he provides. “You’re listening to a band that’s right in the thick of it all.”
In crafting The Noble Art Of Self Destruction, the 4 members discovered themselves working to a strict schedule. According to Lucas: “We had a three-month gap between tours, so [we] worked five-day weeks on it. We knew that if we didn’t do it then, we wouldn’t have had the time to do it for a while.”
Holding Absence are a busy band. Along with placing out three albums on SharpTone Records, they’ve undertaken three U.S. excursions, supporting the likes of Silverstein and Being As An Ocean, in addition to toured Australia, most of Europe, and performed each city and competition attainable throughout the U.Okay.
Their stage sizes are ever-increasing, as are their album gross sales and streaming numbers. But was there ever a second Lucas realized they have been onto one thing particular? “I’m proud of this band because we took every step,” he explains. “We never jumped one. I remember great moments, like stepping off the plane in America, but we did everything brick by brick, so nothing has felt too shocking.”
However, sure issues strike Lucas as essential. “I love how ‘Afterlife’ has become an emo anthem on the U.K. club scene,” he laughs. “I love that we’re a part of people’s lives like that. But it’s all about building blocks and being patient.”
The band’s considerate relationship with their fanbase is a big issue of their turning into near so many individuals’s hearts. They interact closely with followers at reveals and on social media in addition to, impressively, working their very own merch stand whereas on tour.
“Even on our last American run, we didn’t take anyone to do merch for us,” Lucas explains. “At each date, we made sure we met every single person who bought a T-shirt. It’s the most fun part of what we do. The hard thing will be figuring out how we maintain this connection as we grow.”
There’s a palpable sense of humanity about Holding Absence’s music; one other issue that has helped foster such a deep reference to many followers. This is grown-up, cutting-edge emo music that’s sensible and compassionate, free of any immaturity that marred some of the style’s early noughties mainstream explosion.
The band’s dwelling nation of Wales has lengthy punched above its weight in phrases of producing emo bands. The nation is dwelling to simply 3 million folks, but the south of the nation alone has produced a number of main post-millennium emo and post-hardcore acts, together with Funeral For A Friend, Kids In Glass Houses, and the Blackout.
Holding Absence are clearly the subsequent main band on this lineage. Lucas is, of course, measured in response to this. “I’ve always tried to be real with myself about things,” he says. “Part of me finds it crazy seeing old posters of bands that I grew up idolizing, and they were playing smaller venues than we are now. But the rest of me thinks, ‘No, that isn’t at all true.’”
Beyond simply inside Holding Absence’s homeland (the place bands like Dream State and Casey are retaining the Welsh emo custom alive), the style appears to be in impolite well being the world over.
Lucas has a lot of perception on this topic. “The idea of emo needed to evolve,” he expounds. “So it’s scattered off into so many different realms. If you asked someone who the one biggest emo band is right now, I don’t even know who they’d say.”
He continues: “To me, emo is a philosophy. It can mean so many things. It can be American Football, Paramore, even Fugazi. The main thread that combines it all is the intent, the message. It’s a genre that’s been proven so many times, people won’t settle for poor quality anymore.”
Holding Absence are a shining instance of the standard of modern emo music. They possess greater than sufficient empathetic knowledge, songwriting nous, and aesthetic aptitude to proceed bending the style into attention-grabbing new shapes.
They have already got plans to proceed their very own evolution. The band have explicitly referred to The Noble Art Of Self Destruction as the ultimate chapter of a trilogy. “We’ve put this three-out-of-three disclaimer on this, which is going to force us to move forward,” Lucas explains. “I wake up every day excited because I’m excited by the different ways this band can evolve.”
Holding Absence have pieced themselves collectively and are setting as much as shatter themselves once more. Whatever form they take subsequent, you’ll be able to make certain that it’ll course with veins of shimmering gold.
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