What a treat we have for you my lovelies, a passionately sculpted new single by Belgian post-hardcore outfit Depths. So let’s jump right in, shall we? Title track ‘We Love, We Lose, We Break’ unleashes an unholy amount of raw, pent-up emotion, summed up in lead singer Olivier’s growl of “we lose what we love and we hate what we gain, just a vicious circle pulling us in.” The track is held together with control, a melancholic battle between heart wrenching sorrow and blood boiling fury, with pounding climaxes subsiding to gentler moments of reflection.
Second track ‘Alone and Forsaken’ follows suit, never loud for the sake of it, only to convey equal measures of anguish and anger. The intro begins slowly, coaxing in the listener before delivering on its promise of rhythmic melodies and accompanying drums – all coming together to serve up a great sequel to the title track. What can we say about Depths judging by their recent release? Regrettably not too much given that it’s only 2 tracks, but what we hear is promising!
I’ve said it before, and honestly, I’ll keep saying it, but I think bands like Depths could benefit from a little more variation with the vocals. The growls are good by all accounts, I’m not taking anything away from them. Olivier unleashes a fiery emotive and angst filled vocal performance, but sometimes it is easier to appreciate the strength of this kind of vocal performance against a softer backdrop. I’m not expecting moments where the vocals reach the levels of a soft and soothing ballad, but not only would some softer vocals boost the intense presence of the harsher vocals, it would also show a greater variation of talent (which is no bad thing).
Besides any artistic preferences about Olivier’s vocal delivery, there isn’t much negativity to bring against the release. A single is seldom indicative of everything a band has to offer, so we can hope for more variation and invention from an EP or album. When that next release comes, we’ll be listening out for it with our keen little ears on – and so should you!
3.5 out of 5 high fives!