RVA melodic hardcore stalwarts Hold Tight have been showing up more often apart than together lately, what with two members switching instruments to play in Teen Death and the other two members manning their usual instruments in Cross Eyed. However, the quartet has been making some appearances on the same stage at the same time recently, and apparently they’ve come together in the studio as well, since a new 6-song EP has appeared this week on Animal Style Records.
RVA melodic hardcore stalwarts Hold Tight have been showing up more often apart than together lately, what with two members switching instruments to play in Teen Death and the other two members manning their usual instruments in Cross Eyed. However, the quartet has been making some appearances on the same stage at the same time recently, and apparently they’ve come together in the studio as well, since a new 6-song EP has appeared this week on Animal Style Records.
I Always Leave But Never Say Goodbye is the polar opposite of 2011’s Call The Zoo EP, on which the band blew through 7 songs in something like 5 minutes. Hold Tight is stretching out on these songs–which is still a relative thing when you’re talking pop-punk, but 5 of these 6 songs are over two minutes long, with the title track stretching out to nearly three whole minutes! Who knew? While Hold Tight have shown the ability to hit borderline blast-beat speeds in the past, they’re sticking to mid-tempo riffing here, which combines with the minor-chord melodies and wistful lyrics to create a downright melancholy feel. There’s even a downcast reference to the band’s own past on “Reacting;” bassist James Goodson sings “we used to say, ‘can’t take this away,’ but I can still lose it,” obviously referencing the band’s 2010 debut LP.
All of these moody riffs and depressing lyrics still make for a great listen, though–as if we’d ever expect anything less from a band with such a strong track record as Hold Tight. At a time when the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder, a record like this can be exactly what the doctor ordered. So check out I Always Leave But Never Say Goodbye in full below, and pick up your own copy from Animal Style’s Bandcamp as a name-your-price download HERE.
