“And I’ll take and I’ll take ’til there’s nothing fucking left.”
Few artists in our post-pandemic world have the tenacity to commit to a yearly album cycle. In an industry that is becoming ever increasingly focused on the ‘drip feed’ tactic of releasing music under smaller, more disposable formats, it’s quite rare to experience a sophomore record just one short year after its predecessor. Furthermore, to what extent could an artist possibly grow in such a short time span? Enter UK nu metalcore veterans Graphic Nature, with their sophomore LP Who Are You When No One Is Watching?, a triumphant 42 minute run that finds the band at their heaviest, darkest, and most mature point in the sixth year of their career.
Who Are You When No One Is Watching? is a most welcome, but certainly not long awaited follow up to 2023’s A Mind Waiting To Die, a record that was as emotionally vulnerable in its themes as it was mosh friendly. Returning producer Sam Bloor ensures the former feels like a good and proper sequel to the latter, once again replete with tremor-inducing guitar tones and bombastic drum tracking. What truly elevates this record above its already stellar predecessor, however, is the deeply personal nature of its lyricism. While frontman Harvey Freeman certainly dabbled with this on A Mind Waiting To Die, it’s clear now that he’s no longer holding back, as WAYWNOIW? is a deep and dark venture that explores themes of trauma and self-loathing with profound intensity.
After an eerie semi-titular prologue, the album kicks off in earnest with the aptly titled “Locked In”. Screeching panic chords accompany earth shattering open notes and thunderous drum fills in the track’s introductory phase, a proud initial display of the band’s well-established nu-metalcore formula. Sharing in these elements are cuts such as “Breathe” and “Low”, where the latter is further accompanied by a furious breakdown around the two and a half minute mark that’s just so goddamn heavy, a rewind is simply all but inevitable on first listen. The former, however, would be a fairly standard affair for Graphic Nature were it not for the notable synth work layered throughout the track, an element that augments much of WAYWNOIW?’s runtime.
Most recent single “Human” is perhaps one of the most glaring examples of said synth work, which remains a mark in the record’s favor, second only to intermittent track “session24.” which truly sees the band double down on these electronic elements if only for a few moments. The chaos resumes with “N.F.A.”, another brief affair that adheres tightly to the Graphic Nature formula, only with a notable increase in groove that’s sure to get pits moving if the group decides to take this one to the stage.
If there is anything remotely negative to take away from WAYWNOIW?, it’s that just a few of the tracks feel a little too similar in their musical approach. For example, the breakdowns that accompany “Blinded” and “Low” feel suspiciously alike. “To the Grave” is yet another track that seems to rely on a massive concluding breakdown to reach a musical climax. Of course, it’s difficult to hinge on this complaint for long, as Graphic Nature are masters of their craft and just about every other aspect of the album’s songwriting is in top form; regardless, I felt this was worth mentioning.
Secondary title track “When No One Is Watching” is a welcome glimpse into Graphic Nature embracing ambient during moments of intense vulnerability, particularly in its conclusion, where ambient synths are accompanied by a slow, groove-laden breakdown likened to something from a thall-oriented playbook. Finally, closing track “For You” displays Freeman at his most vulnerable, rounding out the album with lines such as “it’s not my fault it’s taken me too long to figure it out” and “I told myself I just need to make it through one more day”, leaving WAYWNOIW? behind on a powerful, melancholic note.
Put simply, this is the pivotal, career defining release in which Graphic Nature have been building up to for over half a decade. Now six years into their career, the quintet have pulled out all the stops and delivered a record that’s certain to shape the future of nu-metalcore for years to come. It is a record that’s as crushing as it is confrontational, and its thought provoking lyricism tackling themes of mental illness is sure to resonate deeply with longtime fans and newcomers alike.
9/10
Who Are You When No One Is Watching? is out Friday 12th July and can be pre-ordered here.