After premiering the song while on Warped Tour 2015, Hands Like Houses have finally released the second single from their upcoming album, "Dissonants". Though the band hasn't revealed the album's release date, it will be released sometime in 2015. So we have roughly about 3 months left in the year, which means the album is coming very, very soon! You can click this (link) to buy this song on iTunes. And don't forget to catch them on tour later this month with I the Mighty, Lower Than Atlantis and more!
One of the few bands who only get better with time, HLH have stepped the ante with this song. Fans who heard it while the band was on tour this summer already know how incredible this single is. But for those of you who haven't until today, you'll in for a treat. This song has the HLH stamp of approval all over it, but at the same time ventures into some new ground.
The intro, similar to that of "Shapeshifters" holds the bulk of the melody in the song. The rest is driven by rhythms. The intro transitions into a bass driven verse. The band's other works haven't put a large emphasis on Joel Tyrrell's bass skills, and this is a nice chance for him to shine. The overall feel of the song may remind some of fellow alt. rockers There For Tomorrow. Though TFT has since called it quits, "New Romantics" could easily find a home on their second and final album, "The Verge". Both bands draw from similar genres, have very strong vocalists, and a large portion of their songs focus on melody. With HLH's newest single, it finds a common ground with TFT's work n its ambient rock influences.
There's little hardcore influences, save for the minimal unclean vocals and the breakdown. And as usual, the few hardcore parts the band does put in are stellar. The band has a certain penchant for breakdowns. To the pleasure of fans, the band doesn't overuse them. Rather, they choose to write brief rhythmic bridges that happen to follow similar patterns to typical post hardcore breakdowns. This song doesn't have the killer guitar riff that "I Am" had, but is definitely unique in HLH's mix of songs.
Summary -
It might not be as catchy as "I Am", but it shows the band's maturity. Lyrically as strong as ever, this piece takes the band back to their experimental roots. Where "I Am" took the band down a heavier road, this track is able to recreate some of the ambient feelings found in songs by 30 Seconds to Mars and There For Tomorrow. More experimental rock than post hardcore, this is a pulsating song is fueled by one of the best bass riffs of the year. For fans of HLH's debut album, and for fans of Lower Than Atlantis and Too Close to Touch (both of whom the band are touring with later this year).
Rating - 8/10