Venn Records- 21 AUG 2020
Post-hardcore perfection from across the pond
Other Half was never something I was looking for. The British trio’s “Sameness Without End” popped up on a random Spotify playlist last weekend and I was intrigued from the first chords. The post-hardcore outfit’s latest Big Twenty has been consistently blazing out of my speakers since only stopping to check out bands the members performed with prior to coming together as Other Half. The individuals have previously worked with Maths and Ducking Punches.
Guitarist and vocalist Cal Hudson is joined by Sophie Porter on bass and vocals and Alfie Adams behind the kit. Musically, Other Half sounds like Mewithoutyou without all the Jesus meeting The Pixies in a dark alley. Big Twenty is a technical masterpiece and lyrical snapshot of someone coping with an entanglement in drugs, failing mental health and an overall affinity for bad decisions.
Hudson’s ability to turn a phrase over the abrasive harmonies and his own pointed cadence and gravel throated abrasiveness. From the opening cut “Karaoke” Other Half come in hot; wildly swinging their fists with brute force that rarely takes a break across the album’s fourteen tracks. The album highlights really come in the when Porter gets involved like she does on “Sameness Without End”, her shouted responses mirror Hudson’s snarling calls, like trying to debate a brother and sister, the duo dominate the sound and assault the listener with confidence and strength.
“White Worm” is a post hardcore masterpiece with its swells and lulls carried by punchy drums and angular melodies. The track reflects Hudson’s unease in his own body and society as the title worm invades his bones and the foundations of civilization. “Trance State” attacks the manner in which an addict can turn into a somnambulate, mindlessly following the destructive familiarity of drug use. Other Half remind you of the long-term disappointment a short-term high can lead to in the closing line “It doesn’t seem so clever when it bites you back.”
Other Half slows things down on “Sticks at the Sides,” a spoken word diary entry overwhelmed by chaotic distortion and steady drum beats before closing the album with the call to action anthem “Community Spirit.” The band calls for action not platitudes from the generation, violence not social media posts; “I want gangs and factions and mobilized forces, not kids on high horses.” While I can not endorse the droog-ish hunt for a fight, the need for a sense of community regardless of the scars the community will bring is tangible and relatable and something I can fully get behind.
The theme of this album is not optimistic, the Big Twenty may be reminiscent of a birthday or anniversary celebration, but there is nothing triumphant or jubilant about the motifs presented so vividly by Hudson and crew. This is a band that have accepted that life sucks, but they’ve bought their helmet and they aren’t going to lay down without getting in a few licks of their own.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
