In First Person - Lost Between Hands Held Tight
Rating
RIYL
SaetiaYou & I
Circle Takes the Square
Pg. 99
Tracklist
1. The Beast2. Item #14
3. Kanye West Was Right
4. Alfred Hitchcock
5. ...And Time is Running Out
6. An Enterprise That Requires New Clothes
7. Deconstructing the I/It
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The effort put into the packaging of a record says a great deal about the band and the record label. Paramnesia Records outdid themselves with the layout for In First Person’s debut, Lost Between Hands Held Tight. In a day where the future of physical copies of albums is seriously in jeopardy, it’s striking to see a label willing to go to great lengths in presenting such a piece of art. This is an album that begs to be purchased on vinyl. The amount of work that has gone into this is mind-blowing. Everything is glued, screen printed, stapled, and folded by hand. The record itself is pressed on clear splatter vinyl. The inserts include a CD version of the album as well as thoughtful essays by the band members explaining their philosophy. The overall presentation leaves quite an impression about the people who are releasing this record.
The music itself is no less impressive. There is some remarkable fast and abrasive hardcore contained amongst these 7 tracks. The style is similar to bands such as You and I who were referred to as screamo before the genre took on a different meaning. The band contains members Benn Roe, Tom Schlatter, and Vanessa Espinal all of whom contribute vocals. The production is murky at best but still does a decent job representing the urgency of the music. Songs such as “…And Time is Running Out” show the versatility of the band. It starts with a melodic passage sung by Vanessa before bursting into an aggressive breakdown. “Alfred Hitchcock” contains an eerie atmosphere worthy of its name.
It’s too bad that the vocals get buried deep in the mix because they contain some powerful lyrics. Luckily, the lyric sheet was included. The band tackles topics with brutal honesty such as the effects of capitalism and the corruption which has plagued America. The result is an outburst of pure passion and frustration. The full essays by the band are thought provoking and give a rare glimpse into the minds of the musicians who are creating this music. One quote speaks entirely true of the current hardcore scene: “These days in the hardcore scene it’s almost as if nothing is sacred, authentic, or taken seriously.”
With its short length, this album has definitely left me wanting more. I can’t help but wonder how much better this would have been with slightly cleaner production. In the end, it’s an excellent debut which shows tremendous promise for the future. Paramnesia Records is a new label who have been releasing some impressive albums and approaching their operations with integrity. It’s great that records like this exist in a hardcore community that is very much at risk right now of giving it all up for the sake of commercialism.
--Dave Spak
Comments
Minnesota
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Colorado Springs, CO
blockbuster
Saetia
You & I
Circle Takes the Square
Pg. 99
holy shit I am so checking this out when I get home
this site needs more screamo reviews
PA
I'll review anything screamo. I need to check out this band.
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)
Los Angeles
!!!
postrockpaperscissors
blockbuster
I'm retired from reviews myself or I would
That and I've been listening to The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me nonstop ever since it came out.
PA
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)