Title: In Absence
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: 24th March 2014
Reviewed By: James Reeve
Before I had the realisation that listening to new music and jotting down my opinion of it was incredibly fun, I tended to shy away from bands that considered themselves as part of the post-hardcore scene. I don't know if this was down to the fact that I always found the kids in the 'scene' to be people that I couldn't care less about, or if I simply just didn't care for the music. With that in mind ahead of this A World Defined review, I was ready to go, genuinely hoping for a record that would change my whole outlook on this genre.
Opening track June shows a positive sign to this, starting off with rising electronics before quickly transforming into the smashing battle you'd expect to hear, continuing this high energy throughout. With impressive drumming and superb guitar work, it's easy to see why this was chosen to begin the record, and it only gets better.
Title track In Absence has one of the best 30 second openers I've heard in a while. Vocalist Liam Reeves' voice is utterly sublime, and by utilising it alongside a piano simply strengthens this. Once those 30 seconds are up though the song really begins, with the inevitable clashing of drums and guitar, which undoubtedly shine a light on the skill each individual member must bring to the writing room. With an incredibly well written chorus, both lyrically and musically, I expect this to be a great crowd pleaser.
Following track The Void is similar to what I originally expected the record to sound like. The song is stereotypical post-hardcore, reminiscent to that of early Thrice. Not a bad song, but simply put not as good as the rest of the EP.
Gild the Lily is where the band really start to shine, taking it down pace, or at least to begin with. Starting off with beautiful-sounding two chord acoustic strumming, it showcases that the vocalist has much more to offer than screaming down a microphone at you. Just under two minutes' time is when the track truly opens up. With Liam belting out "I need time" while the rest of the band harmonises in the background, it's definitely clear as to why this stands out.
The song Brothers, however, is by far the highlight to the record. Whether this is down to the fact I watched the accompanying video first, I don't know. All I can do is recommend all who read this to watch it, as it gives the viewer a better feel of what this group is about and how much they seem care about what they're doing. Lyrically, this is representation of what friendship is about, and that by sticking together anything is possible. Alongside eccentric drumming and wonderfully melodic guitar work, this is going to be a set finale, and you will definitely find me at the front of the room shouting along to "We're not second best".
The only issue I had with this record was I didn't care for was the electronic finale, Outro. I understand the idea of a finishing track being one to relax you out of a record, especially for this style of music, but I honestly didn't feel this. The one minute nineteen seconds finisher isn't bad; it just doesn't seem to fit in and wouldn't have made a difference personally if it was taken out.
Overall though, I'd say that this Derbyshire band has definitely changed my opinion of the genre. Not so much that I'm going to be listening to the genre exclusively, but in the sense they've changed my perspective on it, making me a little more excited for my next review. A good record by a band that I imagine does better justice on stage performing, and I can happily say that I look forward to seeing them live soon.
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