“How do I make the best of letting go of everything I’ve ever known?”
The mid-late 2010’s undoubtedly marked a glorious renaissance for post-hardcore outfits internationally, and this has only intensified in the 2020’s. Recently, Holding Absence and Trash Boat have blown up the UK’s scene, Our Mirage have arisen in mainland Europe, and Australia has seen the likes of Pridelands, Deadlights and Glass Tides vying for the throne. Arguably though, the American post-hardcore scene has been most the prosperous — and saturated — in recent years.
Brushing shoulders with esteemed contemporaries including Thousand Below to Greyhaven, newcomers LIMBS are deemed to be one of those criminally underrated bands clawing for a slice of the post-hardcore pie. Following the 2018 release of their debut LP Father’s Son via UNFD and three-track EP Only The Lonely Know in 2020, LIMBS are now endeavouring to become true mainstays with their new seven-song offering, Coma Year. This is a particularly exciting review for me, as this is actually my very first time experiencing LIMBS. Let’s do this!
No time is wasted with opener, “Mortality Moment”. Immediately, I was caught off guard by the positively pulverising riffwork by guitarists Tyler Martin and Jordan Hunter — the undeniable Polaris vibes on show here are very much welcome without feeling too unoriginal or disingenuous.
The chorus for “Mortality Moment” is emphatic, energetic and endlessly listenable, with soaring singalong passages provided by vocalist Austin McAuley: “We’re losing our focus / Stuck in the motion / Paying a debt to be at rest”. With an enormous range of dynamics between McAuley’s clean and distorted vocals and the impressive instrumentation on show, “Mortality Moment” oozes promise for what’s to come in Coma Year’s tracklist.
Second song and well-chosen single “Spirit Breaker” soon follows, and is nothing short of a true post-hardcore anthem that longs to be played on a sun-soaked stage at Slam Dunk Festival, or even a resurrected Vans Warped Tour. On the heart-wrenching subject matter of watching someone spiral irretrievably into addiction, ‘Spirit Breaker’ is awash in melancholic sentiment that translates beautifully into this heartfelt banger.
Like “Mortality Moment”, the emotive lyricism of the chorus for “Spirit Breaker” is utterly masterful, both in its melody and meaning: “We’re never told that we won’t live forever / Reality, tearing me from the pressure / You weren’t given the chance, we’re never heaven sent”.
Title track “Coma Year” goes off like a radiant explosion of multicoloured fireworks; bright and uplifting guitars and frenetic drum work combine with McAuley’s vocals to craft a truly enlivened experience. The Holding Absence vibes are particularly strong on this one — whether this is intentional or not I cannot say, but there’s an undeniable warmth and familiarity here that is sure to be appreciated amongst all the new UK fans LIMBS are bound to accrue.
“If I Go Before You” is a darker, more tense affair than its preceding tracks. Lending variety and depth to Coma Year, “If I Go Before You” utilises sombre guitar soundscapes and moody melodies, toying with tension in what is Coma Year’s most haunting track. Beginning and ending the song with standout lyric “If I go before you / If the fire burns out / If the shadows envelop this house…”, LIMBS express uncertainty and perfectly capture the cyclical nature of loss, providing profound poignance in this provocative beauty of a song.
Tracks five and six — “Vertigo” and “Blood And Heel” respectively — reignite the high-octane inferno of sound established in Coma Year’s first half. “Vertigo” demands constant movement from the listener, from its hard-as-nails, impossible-not-to-headbang-to guitar riffs to some insanely tasteful and vibey verses that one can’t help but sway to. ‘Blood And Heel’, meanwhile, is a cathartic, emotive outpouring, perfectly poised to be this EP’s go-to track for creating circle pits.
Lastly but by no means least, closing track and latest single “Slow Burn” rounds out Coma Year and brings it up to a nice, round twenty-five minutes. “Slow Burn” explores McAuley’s first-hand experience of suffering with a panic and anxiety disorder; lyrics such as “I’m a walking heart attack searching for the strength to carry on” amplify the severity of panic attacks, and McAuley’s expression of vulnerability here is truly authentic, let alone searingly relatable. Putting such personal struggles on the line like this requires serious courage, and I (and so many others) are indebted to musicians that touch upon topics like this. Mad respect.
In conclusion, Coma Year is a fucking fantastic EP. Narrowly scraping the boundary between what constitutes an EP and a full-length album, LIMBS have delicately and purposefully crafted a collection of tracks that hold incredible emotional weight whilst remaining unwaveringly consistent and genuine to themselves. The twenty-five minute runtime of Coma Year feels perfect, although I definitely wouldn’t complain if LIMBS decided to go down the deluxe route and slap a few more bangers into this record. Some softer, stripped versions wouldn’t go amiss either.
None of the seven songs here waver in quality whatsoever — everything, from opener “Mortality Moment”, to midpoint masterpiece “If I Go Before You”, to closing chapter “Slow Burn”, serves a greater purpose in the narrative of Coma Year, and this ultimately results in an EP that will deservedly accelerate LIMBS on their ever-flourishing career. Now, I’m incredibly eager for LIMBS to visit the UK so I can belt these songs back at them.
9.5/10
Coma Year by LIMBS is due to be released on Friday June 24th 2022 via UNFD, and while there are no physical pre-orders, you can find pre-save links for the EP here, and merchandise here. For more on the greatest post-hardcore and music in general, stay with us at BoolinTunes.