Holding Absence enter a brand new era on Modern Life Is Lonely. The arrival of mascot Y4-BB0 accompanies their most dramatic sonic shift yet, bringing their Porter Robinson influences to the forefront through heavy electronic experimentation. The record itself is definitive proof of a band finally given the freedom to go full throttle, evolving beyond the melancholic post-hardcore and pop-punk that first defined them.
Following The Noble Art of Self Destruction ending on “I am a puzzle, I am a painting, I am a work of art in the making” with its final track, the title of ‘Reanimate’ feels fitting. Holding Absence are piecing themselves back together, bringing the familiar into a new era. Chopped synths and birdsong explode into triumphant pop-rock, as “you pull me apart, but put the pieces back to save me” introduces a newfound sense of hope.
This optimism carries through ‘Reflection’, an introspective, anthemic second single destined for the live set. Like ‘Afterlife’, it has the hooks to become a fan favourite, transforming vulnerability into something communal. ‘Heaven’ follows with huge, propulsive drums driving its angst-filled yearning, while electronic flourishes remain woven through its familiar rock-ballad framework.
The title track is their heaviest yet, pairing soaring guitars and metalcore staples with the repeated “too much of a good thing, not sure I want it anymore”. Despite its title, the album isn’t social commentary, but an examination of the self within modern society, culminating in a crushing breakdown featuring guitarist Scott Carey on vocal duties alongside Lucas Woodland.
‘Whisper of a Dream’, the album’s first single, perhaps best encapsulates this new era: it sounds unmistakably like Holding Absence, only bigger. “Being a human’s more of a burden than I was hoping” continues the record’s focus on the complexities of one’s own mental state navigating the world. Meanwhile, ‘Lucid Love’ takes that experimentation somewhere more playful, with K-pop-influenced synths, electronics and vocal effects creating a surprisingly fun pop moment. ‘Scorched Earth’ veers towards Bad Omens-esque modern metalcore, pairing heavy vocals and instrumentation with melancholy lyricism.
The two interludes offer something entirely different. ‘shells_like_us.int’ slows everything down, its softened vocals and music-box quality creating a quiet, comforting warmth that feels deliberately fleeting before fading into nothingness. ‘lullaby.int’ follows a similar path, and together the interludes feel like an embrace from Holding Absence‘s past records: brief moments of familiarity nestled within an album determined to move forward.
That movement culminates in ‘Kyoto Snow’. Birdsong gently returns in its opening before the track builds like a frantic heartbeat, eventually unfolding into an electronic pop-rock ballad. It fittingly feels like bleeding out in the snow beneath neon lights, with “I will find you and love you in every lifetime” at its heart. As the song swells into a beautiful, cinematic crescendo, it’s very much akin to the credits rolling over the final scene of a film. A fitting close to an album that manages to sound unmistakably like Holding Absence while taking them somewhere they’ve never been before.
Modern Life Is Lonely is a bold expansion of what Holding Absence can be. For all its electronic experimentation and heavier moments, their emotional core remains untouched. The result is an album that sounds like a band discovering just how far they can take themselves.
