Hold Tight!
I Always Leave But Never Say Goodbye [EP] (2014)
Mark613
Richmond, Virginia’s Hold Tight! play speedy, straight-up punk with a good dose of melody. This might not be the most popular of sounds these days, but their latest EP release, I Always Leave But Never Say Goodbye, presents six songs that satisfy exactly what I’m looking for in modern punk rock.
The boys get things going with “Why Change Now,†a solid opener that sets the pace with nods to Dillinger Four. “I Know†and “Waterlogged†follow in similar fashion with great sing-a-long choruses and memorable breakdowns. Whereas I found some of their previous releases to sound a little thin in the mix, everything is big and beefy this time around with crunchy guitar riffs and bright cymbal crashes. “Stumble†features a deep, bouncing bass line and tricky guitar lick. My favorite song on the release, “Reactingâ€, has a snare-roll build up towards the end of the tune that makes me hit repeat. The lyrical content focuses on day-to-day life which I find suits the band’s approach; their sound isn’t quite nasty enough for darker lyrics, but not poppy enough for joking around. Closing this collection out is the title track which starts off a bit too mid-tempo for my own tastes, but isn’t necessarily out of place here and acts as sort of a slow-burner to bring things to an end.
I Always Leave But Never Say Goodbye is a worthwhile listen for anyone keeping up with no-nonsense punk rock. Hold Tight! bring it.
You can listen to the EP here.