UK X ASIA: Post Hardcore Act LANGUISH Release EP Blending Shoegaze and Hardcore [UK]

UK based post hardcore band LANGUISH are a band that combines shoegaze, hardcore punk and indie rock. This can be heard on their recently released 3 track EP ‘Hard to Reach’.

“Musically, we take influence from seminal acts Slowdive, Trapped Under Ice and The Housemartins as well as a plethora of others. The goal is to have a full soundscape with different textures whilst also maintaining the raw intensity that only comes with punk and hardcore. We also try to incorporate plenty of hooks within their music.

Lyrically, the themes are around loss, hopelessness and positivity. Jake writes lyrics around his own personal experiences. All Your Sons is a reflection on Jake’s family, the early years that he spent within the foster care system and the impact that this has on the adult he is now. Much of the lyrical content is insular and grapples with identity. Jake is half Pakistani and has no way of finding out who his birth father is:

“For me, this EP is about reconciling the past and coming to terms with who I am. I come from a lineage of addiction, abuse and poverty. I think it’s difficult to be proud of who you are when you come from nothing and you don’t have any way of knowing where you’re from. I was adopted by a very nice white couple who are incredible but I’ve always felt detached from my race and struggled to feel happy in my skin. The older I get, the easier things are but I don’t think the feeling of being an outsider really ever leaves.” All Your Sons ends with a call to arms for those wanting to halt intergenerational trauma; “Stop the cycle, break the chain, start again, let love in”.

Brick by Brick is a song about wanting more from life and again grappling with who you are and the person you’re supposed to be. The main theme of the song is recovery. The song is hopeless and hopeful, written from the point of view of a pained inner child. We took a lot of influence from the shouting / talk-singing dynamics of Citizen on this one.

Solder takes influence from 80’s post punk. This song is the least hopeful song on the EP and encapsulates the worst days and giving up.

https://www.instagram.com/languish.ldn/