Holding Absence: Modern Life Is Lonely

Holding Absence’s fourth studio album, Modern Life Is Lonely, is set to drop on September 18 via the band’s new label, Sumerian Records, and it is absolutely a record for fans to write home about. Modern Life Is Lonely is the pinnacle of emotional and physical vulnerability, exploring the band’s connection with grief, love and identity in a world that is constantly overwhelming. Possessing plenty of beautiful imagery that captures what it means to live as a person, Holding Absence have created a record that demonstrates what it feels like to constantly fight between trauma, morality and the search for meaning – something many people have to contend with.

Opening the album is ‘Reanimate’, which delivers powerfully through both its instrumentals and lyrics. With gripping changes of pace throughout the song, ranging from dramatic guitar riffs to softer drumbeats, it immediately reflects what fans should expect from the album as a whole. The lyrics also stand out, harnessing the feeling of losing your authentic, past self and the struggle to make yourself whole again.

Then, we have another album track, ‘Heaven’. The song embodies what it means to be in an unhealthy relationship that keeps you bound, yet feels so good to indulge in while you’re in the moment. Frontman Lucas Woodland’s vocals also help elevate the track, giving it a more ethereal sound reminiscent of their earlier song from 2020, ‘Gravity’.

Then comes the title track, ‘Modern Life Is Lonely’, which was previously released as a single but is still impossible not to talk about. The song beautifully fits so many complex emotions and feelings into one piece, but one sits at the forefront of it all: loneliness caused by the overstimulation that modern life carries. The song also references the impact of technology, emphasising the effects of being constantly ‘plugged in’ and the isolation that can come with it.

As we move past the two singles, ‘Whisper Of A Dream’ and ‘Lucid Love’, we land on ‘Scorched Earth’. The instrumentals stand out here, with a more prominent electronic touch that takes the song in a different direction from much of the rest of the album. It possesses a distinctly otherworldly feel, paying attention to the idea of angels falling and everything eventually coming to an end. Through its imagery and metaphors, the song explores the idea of futility and the inevitability of endings.

To close the album, we have ‘Kyoto Snow’, a five-minute masterpiece that brings everything to a fitting conclusion. With soft piano sitting beneath Lucas Woodland’s vulnerable vocals, the song begins simply yet elegantly. A song about lovers coming together no matter how much time passes or what circumstances come between them, ‘Kyoto Snow’ feels like a distillation of who Holding Absence really are. By tying together aspects of the album’s many themes, I couldn’t think of a more suitable track to represent everything the band stands for.

The whole album is incredible – a must-listen for fans and newcomers to the Holding Absence family alike. Modern Life Is Lonely is a journey from start to finish, and undoubtedly one of my favourite records of the year.