In First Person
Lost Between Hands Held Tight
7.1
In First Person is a trio from Philly whose members have done time in You and I, The Assistant, and Pyramids among others, and Lost Between Hands Held Tight is their first full-length to my knowledge. They play an emotionally-driven brand of post-hardcore akin to Circle Takes the Square, Flowers in the Attic, Pageninetynine et al, so that probably means this will be their last, as far too many bands of this ilk have dissolved long before their time.
Now that all the strict metalheads are off reading other reviews lets break this one down a little further, shall we? It is true that this is a very non-metal release, but it is heavy nonetheless as it mixes tangibly aggressive crusty punk styles with abstract, moody post-hardcore dissonance. Their use of dynamics is really impressive as they shift between chaotic, aggressive sections and calmer, moody atmospheres. The chaotic elements frequently sound like the band is about to fall apart, but impressively, they always reel it back in. All three members contribute vocals, covering all sorts of different howls, screams, and yells between them, often times layering them whether they are shouting the same words or not, which works to great effect.
“The Beast” starts things off by introducing the listener to their arty side with its twisting picking patterns and soaring melody. “Item #14” starts with a misleadingly calm bass-driven melody before erupting into a frenetic pg99-style romp. The simple bass groove and noodly guitars of “Alfred Hitchcock” interact with layered yells of varying intensity before running headlong into a sludgy bass-driven dirge and another chaotic run. “…And Time is Running Out” is a slower, introspective track with piano and clean female vocals (the drummer is a woman by the way) that come off kind of flat, but In First Person isn’t really about polish, so they sort of fit the bands MO. Eventually the track picks up the pace, but maintains a lot of melody throughout.
If a heavier, more focused Circle Takes the Square teamed up with a more melodic Pageninetynine the results would be similar to Lost Between Hands Held Tight, although there are plenty more influences floating around to keep things from sounding too samey. This is the type of record that would feel right at home on the Level Plane, Robotic Empire, or Happy Couples Never Last rosters, so if you dig that sound, this is a worthy entry.
