On 16th February, Cardiff rockers Holding Absence released This Is As One; a split EP with SharpTone Records label mates Loathe. Included in the release was a studio version of “Everything”, which Holding Absence had shared live previously.
Unwaveringly passionate about their band, Holding Absence are Lucas Woodland (vocals), Feisal El-Khazragi (guitar), James Joseph (bass), and Ashley Green (drums). Known for their gorgeous soundscapes and moving pieces of musical artistry, “Everything” is another addition to the Welsh band’s impeccable sonic resumé.
In “Everything”‘s music video, we’re present with Lucas Woodland as he sings and pours his poetic thoughts out about love via a typewriter. With real (unforced) facial expressions, the seriousness of his quest for love, as well as the confusion about why it hasn’t revealed itself yet hits hard. Thumping drum beats echo the ache of ‘Why?’, while an ethereal soundscape whispers of possibility, even though Lucas somberly shares he has given up.
Expressing the way love feels random or mostly impossible, a sliver of hope reveals itself in observations of the aimless or broken still being able to find their way:
“You could walk the world, and end up here.
The earth was never flat.
A broken clock still gets it right.
I’m holding on to that.”
The black and white aesthetic that Holding Absence have used throughout their media befits the band’s focus on emotionally heavy topics; such as mortality, suicide, questioning spiritual belief, love, and trying to make sense of life.
Curated with care, the appearance of colour in the “Everything” video feels significant, perhaps even foreshadowing the next chapter of the band as they move toward releasing an album. Especially since they are constantly saying ‘in living colour’.
Moving to the extreme, the video (and song) reaches a potent climax of sound and emotion, with a rainbow of significance taking over the scene along with an avalanche of determination.
“If I could leave my life behind, in a heartbeats time,
to try and find the poetry behind all of this.
Everything.”
The video closes with focus returned to the typewriter, which says “Holding Absence; A Godsend”. The deliberate attention to those words is too significant to be just words, and again my thoughts go toward the album in the making.
Regardless of the ever-curious symbology that seems to come from these Welshmen, “Everything” is a mind-blowing song and Holding Absence are unstoppable creative forces to be watched with baited breath for whatever they do next.
