Birmingham emo punks Layover are back with another single. “Hunger Pains” comes from the forthcoming EP Your Laughter Never Leaves which releases on 4th May via Fox Records. Layover are Luke Rainsford (vocals), Dominic Cattell (guitar), Elliot Wallett (bass), and Brad Fisher (drums).
Vocalist Luke Rainsford refers to “Hunger Pains” as a bridge between the band’s previous music and their new, more mature, sound. Being the first they wrote for the EP, “Hunger Pains” was reworked, retaining a pop punk sound but also demonstrating a variation that comes in the EP.
The track opens with pop punk punchiness before melting into sharing the story. Reading between the lines, a family member is terminally ill, and “Hunger Pains” is an attempt to make sense of it all. When someone you love is is going through serious illness, is it okay to complain about the weather? Or about hunger pains? Or about being horribly sad? What if they ask you to be their ‘anchor’; to be strong for them, while you want to buckle at the knees from the weight?
“I’m weak and I’m hopeless”
So much is covered in this relatively short track. In just under three minutes we’re observers to a mind who learns someone they love is unwell, and their attempts to adapt themselves around this news, around the weight of the seriousness of it all, and around the remaining life of this person.
The beautifully soaring second chorus takes us crashing and sinking, where we are headed toward the inevitable outcome, and the vibrance is lost from more than one life.
Check out “Hunger Pains” below via YouTube. We’ve also added the track to our Spotify playlist: The Depth List: 2018.
