A collaborative writing effort across five-tracks of dirty, dark melodic post-hardcore goodness, Glass is the follow up to the band’s debut EP Fervour/Further which dropped in 2021. The Cardiff based band have been going from strength to strength since their initial formation back in 2017 and were only momentarily hampered by the pandemic, managing to use their time wisely to hone their sound.
And it’s a pretty huge sound. The band stated they wanted to work with “an experienced producer with a passion for heavy music” and Sam Blighe at Unlucky XIII Audio in Bristol was clearly a solid choice. The production values and mastering are an impressively high standard for an independently produced record.
Opener ‘Possession’ – with its classic metal style driving riff – is possibly the heaviest of the five but isn’t necessarily an indication that more of the same is to come. ‘Glass’ is a varied and developed collection which shows just a hint of the potentially great things to come from PARLA.
Track by track, it manages to maintain a cohesive and clear ‘sound’ while experimenting with different elements and styles within that. ‘Stasis’ has the lower-down growls and downbeat elements played across its frenetic hardcore chaos. ‘Atlantic Drift’ has a more classic 2000s post-hardcore/emo sound and a bit of a funky rhythm on the go at times, with the chord structure and melody on the chorus an immediate ‘play it again’ type of satisfying. One of the things that immediately jumps out about this band are their huge choruses and their ear for a good melody. In ‘Crushed’ you can practically hear the pain as the band reflect upon the things that go wrong in life and the feeling of being let down. ‘Sober’ has that classic dramatic scream-shout vocal delivery over the break before kicking back into the relentless chug of the guitars. The guitar tones across the whole EP are just absolutely huge and pop through the speakers, the vocals riding across the top like a surfer on a giant wave of sound.
With a number of dates booked in various spots around the UK, it seems things are going well for the new hopefuls and this latest offering will surely support their takeover of the scene. If this is what they can do over five tracks then a full length is a truly exciting prospect and one we hope will happen sooner rather than later.