Sitting on for a session on Mosh Talks, vocalist Lucas Woodland for the emerging Welsh sensation Holding Absence discussed the band's forthcoming LP, The Greatest Mistake of My Life set to drop in April of 2021 on SharpTone Records.
Among the highlights of the conversation include a honest exchange about wearing your influences on your sleeve and the current wave of momentum the band is mounting. Citing a unique pride in his fellow countrymen, Woodland mentioned bands like Wargasm and Boston Manor among a thriving class of prospects that are propelling the culture forward. Woodland liked being pooled in that group of upstarts and shared that it does mean something special that these band could kill it being from anywhere, but it loves that they are from the UK.
As for those influences, Woodland confided that being Welsh, their musical surroundings consisted of bands like Funeral For A Friend, Bullet For My Valentine, The Blackout, and Skindred. Naturally, some of that was going to rub off on what would eventually become Holding Absence because that was part of the band's most immediate musical exposure.
Fresh off the release of their single "Beyond Belief" Holding Absence is primed for their sophomore release. Woodland discussed how the process for the band's follow up was much less turbulent than the band's debut, which has afforded a working environment that has allowed the band's confidence in their craft to blossom.
In fact, Woodland referred to the process of making their all important follow up as the first "unhindered journey" as a band. That becomes a very important fact as the frontman confided that the significance of the second album is very much about establishing that while the first album might have been good, the second album proves that talent is consistent.
As for the follow up, Woodland shares the aim was to explore the musical identity that was hard earned with the band's debut. The vocalist confided that he felt a sense of pressure with the band's introduction that was no longer apparent the second time around. That sense of relief segued into free range to be much more dynamic with their songwriting and delivery.
Woodland would go onto explain that "Beyond Belief" was the band's attempt to channel The Cure if they were a 2000s Emo band. It is a big departure from what people might expect and the ability to be unpredictable like that is liberating. Woodland also shared that while the single is deliberately different, it is only one facet of an album that was crafted with confidence and consistency in mind.
Catch the complete discussion with Lucas Woodland of Holding Absence on the latest segment of Mosh Talks below.
