At this stage, it is pretty common knowledge that Holy Roar is absolutely killing it this year with their releases. So far in 2018, they have showcased many of the best young, vital and innovative bands across a spectrum of genres, making their infamous logo an undoubted stamp of quality. With this in mind, Talons may not prove the trendiest of bands on the label to many, but their latest effort We All Know (Holy Roar) deserves as much recognition.
With a brand of contemporary post-rock which isn’t afraid to veer towards both technical and heavier territories, We All Know is an album of, at times, striking contrasts that separates the band from many of their peers as a result. The slightly piercing and distorted violin which introduces the album on ‘The Drowning’ will prove a prominent part of the album’s fabric, whilst here it leads into a sudden sonic barrage flowing from near dissident guitar walls to more mellow vibes, sinuous like a coastal tide crashes and simmers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lugp_NTpLnU
‘On Levels’ invokes a near sludge-like heaviness and an ominous, crawling air, whilst ‘Movements On Seven’ offers a technical streak nearly akin to math rock. For such moments of complexity, however, ‘Long Reading Room’ offers a quiet, dreamlike reprieve, almost entirely consisting of string instrumentation and being otherwise stripped back. Elsewhere Talons aren’t afraid to throw such stark polarising elements into the same song, veering through tones and moods.
Where Holy Roar has been pretty renowned this year for heavy, in-your-face music, We All Know is much less so, yet for a post-rock album offers a much greater side of heaviness and sharpness at times, yet never feels overpowering and still retains some degree of serenity and letting go.
We All Know is an album that needs to be immersed in to truly get the most out of it – this is music for long walks and getting lost with; an instrumental journey that is multi-faceted and dynamic but never too imposing, and completely hypnotic. What a very Talon-ted bunch.
7.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL