Grieving - Everything Goes Right, All At Once

Once upon a time, we Brits used to be great at this sort of stuff. Kids Near Water, Seafood, Stapleton; names lost to the sands of time but which left an undeniable footprint for future acts to follow. To some extent, it means 'Grieving's anthemic mix of post-hardcore, emo, and Britrock is somewhat old fashioned – but for folk of a certain vintage, that shit is both formative and timeless – and there's no question they do it bloody well indeed.

It's been a long time coming, too; some of these songs, including standouts 'My Friend the Ghost' and 'Ownership', can be traced back to a 2016 EP, meaning they've had time to age like oak-barrelled wine, adding depth and flavour to an already heady mix. Even situated in the middle of an album, such tracks more than hold their own.

In part, that's because the inspiration for 'Everything Goes Right, All At Once' has a particularly strong lineage. Late-90s emo? Check, Dischord Records style DC punk? Absolutely. Mid-west punk? Yeah, why not. They may be obvious starting points, but there's a reason why the likes of Shudder to Think, the Appleseed Cast or Husker Du remain in such high regard, and these influences are printed through Grieving like words in a stick of rock.

Of course, this would all count for nought if the songs themselves didn't kick ass, and right off the bat, it's a tour de force of hook-heavy, Brit-rocking punk rock. Opener 'Brian Emo' sets the tone; from then, over the course of 10 further tracks, it just doesn't relent. Even in its extremities – the knotty, motorik 'Puritans' and the propulsive, positively-charged '10x Michelangelo' – Grieving find sonic bliss.