“I’ve wasted my life waiting for the signs.”
Since their emergence in 2019 with “grit” and “mortal fear“, Graphic Nature have become a presence to watch on the UK’s scene radar, with a rough and abrasive sound that seemed waiting to become fully realised and pieced together. Each single has demonstrated increasing signs of the quintet’s potential, and their 2022 EP new skin set the foundation for what was to come with Graphic Nature’s full-length debut, A Mind Waiting To Die.
Originally set to release in the latter half of 2022, there has been a slightly drawn-out nature to the ushering in of this new chapter for Graphic Nature. The heat of the summer saw the drop of dual singles “Into The Dark” and “Bad Blood“, a shotgun surprise that saw this unit begin to match the hype behind them. The upped production present made every moment relentless, topped with a savage breakdown on “Into The Dark” that injects violence straight into the veins.
Opposite single was “Bad Blood“. While separate on the full release, this rager sets what is to come with the squeak of turntables and ruinous pitched guitars an unrelenting experience that won’t be for the weak. Now, a handful of singles later, the full Graphic Nature experience is set to be laid out in full.
With brief intro “404” welcoming listeners, A Mind Waiting To Die lunges in two-footed with “Sour“. Its pounding drum rudiments layered with beefy guitar riffs and Freeman‘s pure aggro vocals makes for an experience akin to being bundled in a trash can and being battered with baseball bats, to borrow American phrasing. As “FUCK” is yelled leading into a disco breakdown, it fully sets the landscape for the upside-down world of fury that is to come in the following 35 mins.
Following on from this is a set of singles, including the aforementioned “Into The Dark“. These do see perhaps the first disjointed moment of A Mind Waiting To Die. Sampling itself a rare didgeridoo, “Killing Floor” continues the rampage of the record, yet departs from the techno-themed nature seen in previous tracks and openers. While it is most seen in retrospect of the full record, it prevents the record from fully feeling laced together.
There is a gnawing nature to moments in A Mind Waiting To Die that let its narrative wrap itself round the listeners mind. “Sleepless” becomes a heavy hitter with it’s line of “I’m dying to leave this hell“, laying out the unpleasant and grim nature of suffering with mental anguish. It’s with this that comes the realisation that A Mind Waiting To Die isn’t meant to be a nice listen but a window into a torn and worn psyche.
Further adding to this is “White Noise“, with lyrics “Just give me some space to hide, somewhere else that isn’t my mind” bluntly laying it out and backing guitars being unpleasantly ruthless in nature to meet the narrative at hand. As “Existence is my hell” is yellowed into the breakdown, as many moments do on this record, the pure ferocity will induces scenes of hands in a live setting.
In the latter moments of A Mind Waiting To Die there is a sense of lag with “Twisted Fear“, “Headstone” and “Deathwish” that see stagnation settle in. While in isolation these are solid tracks, notably “Deathwish“, the double edged sword of the abrasive sound does begin to unfortunately take its toll. The ears start to tire and long for some respite that came with interlude “’90” or intro “404“.
This does come eventually with “A Twin“, a spoken word interlude, interlaced with emotion and nostalgia that makes it borderline goosebump-inducing. Its delicate keyboard chords reminiscent of ’00s Linkin Park and a mix to match, the atmosphere of anger and hopelessness of previous tracks is washed away in this two minute and a half track.
Yet as closer “The Downpour” enters, there is no attempt to sublimate and exit out the backdoor. “I lost it because I trusted you” is uttered, causing the dense sense of dread and unfulfillment to fully settle in. While more measured than previous tracks, the rawness, vulnerability, and emotional potency makes it all the more striking. “The Downpour” is an ending that leaves listeners at the side of the road; there is no bailing out of the catharsis or hope that many of its counterparts cheap out on.
The sharp and relentless experience of A Mind Waiting To Die is one that leaves its mark, and it also sees Graphic Nature answer their potential. There is authenticity and heart laid out at the core of the record, intertwined with an instrumental intensity that is difficult to come by now. While its characteristics of being abrasive, gritty and harsh might make it seem a difficult listen on the face of it, it is also what sets A Mind Waiting To Die apart from the pack of faux narratives.
8.5/10
A Mind Waiting To Die is out February 17th via Rude Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on A Mind Waiting To Die, check out our interview with vocalist Harvey Freeman.