Take Breath - The Hell In All I Held Too Close (EP Review)
TAKE BREATH – The Hell In All I Held Too Close
Released: December 11, 2020
Line-up:
George Andrews // Vocals
Fynn Gillions // Guitar & Vocals
Louis Doran // Drums
Peter Mould // Guitar
Online:
After only forming in late 2019, UK four piece Take Breath have indisputably come out guns blazing. I first stumbled across these guys through Dreambound’s Youtube channel, wasting no time to read up on their journey and add them to my playlist. Over the course of 2020, Take Breath have dropped 3 massive singles and are now releasing their debut EP, The Hell In All I Held Too Close.
Having only played their first and only show in February, the band have continued to stay closely connected to their fans through social media. Showing their gratitude towards the incredible response their second single received, the band ran a competition to win some killer merch and other items that were used when recording some of the song. Not only is their merch b-e-a-utiful, they’ve taken a waste-free approach. It’s just one of the many important and sensitive issues Take Breath highlight not only through their music, but through every day life.
The album kicks off with ‘Sleep’, and if you’re looking for a song to fill the big hole in your heart that Casey left when they split up, this is it. Enriched with sweeping melodic cleans, eerie sound scapes and emotionally raw screams, it’s a perfect opener leaving the listener on the edge of their seat for more. The aching lyrics speak to the grief and pain felt from losing someone, with the words ‘we’ll reunite with time’ feeling like an emotional dagger plunging right into your chest. Even if you’re lucky enough to not have lost someone, this beautifully haunting track will still leave you overrun with emotional aches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dpGxhBipUY
Dropping a couple of months ago, ‘Exhume Me’ has been extremely well received, now with more than 12,000 views on YouTube. The hefty echoed guitar riffs give off big Thornhill vibes, chugging their way straight into your eardrums. The pace fluctuates rapidly, leaving the listener unable to guess where it will twist to next. Deep, guttural screams and a thrashy breakdown take the track to a brutal close, cementing my anticipation to see these guys live. ‘Heather Fields’ begins on a softer note, beautiful piano chords and ethereal tones dance their way over the unnerving atmosphere. I particularly love how raw the clean vocals are throughout the chorus of this track, paving a path through the sensitive and vulnerable mood. This song also best showcases George’s incredible vocal range, effortlessly transitioning from screeching highs to vicious lows.
Building up from a dark atmosphere created by melodic vocals and sweeping guitar, ‘Live Without’ plummets into a roaring, angst ridden anthem. The overlapping layers between clean vocals and screams work incredibly well together, bouncing the light off each other so they both shine brightly. Although the structure does feel a little rough at points, this EP has shown so many raw and rough elements throughout so I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
As far as debut EPs go, The Hell In All I Held Too Close has done a pretty impeccable job. Remembering that Take Breath have only been a band for about a year, I’m truly blown away by the maturity and passion they have etched into every second of these songs.
Take Breath aren’t ones to shy away from raw emotions and through their vulnerability and undeniable talent, have created one hell of a debut EP.
Take Breath – The Hell In All I Held Too Close tracklisting
- Sleep
- Exhume Me
- Heather Fields
- Live Without
Rating: 7/10
The Hell In All I Held Too Close is out now.
Review By – Rhiannon Porter (@rrhiannonporter)
