Holding AbsenceThe Greatest Mistake Of My Life

If Holding Absence’s second album The Greatest Mistake Of My Life highlights anything, it’s that genres are non-existent.

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For an act that would be categorised as post-rock or even emo-rock, TGMOML blends between instruments in an almost orchestral approach.

The sheer opening of Celebration Song’s highlights from the get-go that Holding Absence aren’t trying to sound like every other act within their genre. The emotional intensity on display feels like what most bands would reserve for their album’s climax, instead it comes almost immediately. With a similar vocal style to John Floreani, Welsh frontman Lucas Woodland swoons through delicate verses, whilst moments in Curse Me With Your Kiss and Afterlife highlight more of an emotive strain in his voice to bring home the choruses.

The epic 7-minute Mourning Song is compositionally incredible; with it’s slow burning feel allowing the band to really draw out each note, showcasing the holistic and almost symphonic sounding approach that had been on display for the albums entirety.

Showcasing impressive musicality the snare side hits at the beginning of Afterlife add a subtly powerful feel, with it’s stripped back guitars, building drum rolls and ascending vocal harmonisation overlapping in the bridge giving a similar feel to Bring Me The Horizon’s Drown. Drugs and Love incorporates an eeries vocal sample of a female speaking with abrasive intervals in its intro to build the high intensity feeling of the song, it feels almost wasted when the verse immediately pulls back the reins and slows it up. I would have preferred to see the intensity maintained like it does on the album’s undoubtedly heaviest song Nomoreroses.

The epic 7-minute Mourning Song is compositionally incredible; with it’s slow burning feel allowing the band to really draw out each note, showcasing the holistic and almost symphonic sounding approach that had been on display for the albums entirety.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Afterlife, Nomoreroses, Mourning Song
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