Review Summary: I don't even believe in God... but I needed someone to listen...
Back after a ten year hiatus, The Hope and The Failure's first release since their reunion is a simple yet effective two-song split shared with the recently formed Heavy Weather. Kicking things off with "A Slow Rant About Distance", the Calgary newcomers encapsulate the youthful exuberance that often makes a screamo band's earliest releases so fantastic. Condensing the thrill of post-rock builds and releases into a four and half minute banger, while the dichotomy of lush ambient swells and energetic bursts of catharsis is certainly nothing new, the melodies strewn without make the whole formula feel fresh and exciting again. Exuding a sense of depth well beyond their years, when the track's climax hits, the soaring guitar leads, piano tinkering and atmospheric background makes the knees weak and the chills, strong. Heavy Weather are a band to keep your eye on.
The Hope and The Failure's contribution "I Lost Myself In The Hours I Wasted On You" picks up right where they left off on
The Lights Are On, But This Dance Never Ends; it seems in the decade since their debut, they still have some pain to sing about. Amidst the sonic calamity - surges of fuzz-drenched start-stop guitars and thunderous percussion - Ina delivers lyrics that In the hands of lesser singers would bring the song to ruin. As one of the most genuine vocalists in the game, when she literally cries the lines "I don't even believe in God… but I needed someone to listen" , her vulnerability is achingly palpable. From the shaking inflection of her spoken word passages to the emotive cracking in her roars, she continues to deliver from a place many are too afraid to visit.
Though only two-songs long, the duo of tracks on this split are excellent and serve a greater purpose. As an introduction to Heavy Weather and reintroduction to The Hope and The Failure, this release is a wonderful reminder of how close-knit the screamo community is capable of being. Newbies Heavy Weather will get to the prove their mettle to an older crowd, and The Hope and The Failure will get to the reaffirm their cult status to a whole new generation of wounded adolescents. It's a win-win If I've ever seen one.
