Hold The Fight - With A Breath & A Hope
Last year there was an unexpected departure from South Coast born Hold The Fight causing the band to continue on as a three piece, however this doesn't seem to have got them down as the recent release With a Breath & A Hope will go to show.
Working in the studio with Matt O'Grady, the band has accumulated six tracks for this mini album, each under three minutes long and kicking off with How Many Times Man, I'm Not Caesar!, a guitar thumping pop punk song, that really benefits from the vocal chants and screams that chime in at intervals. The other tracks are pretty similar; Eleanor! is slightly mellower at times, Baby, You Be The Architect! demonstrates some really good backing harmonies and vocals with guitarist Laurie taking the lead; Who's Game For Another One Line Adventure? has the punk toned chants demanding to be heard while We Will Sink Your Battleship! opens with a punch of vocal lines that grabs your attention and takes a slightly darker tone to the guitar riffs. The concluding track to this release, Face It Kid You Can't Build a Bridge Out of Algebra!, is one that goes all out, increasing on all the elements previously heard; a screaming session midway, some wonderful harmonious vocals and a great vocal blend of scream/sing sections.
Although there is not a great deal of alteration in sound between the tracks, it is the way in which the acoustic guitar vibrates at a greater tone through this mini release that is outstanding and really sets Hold The Fight apart from the countless other acts trying to make a space for themselves in this style.