SINGLE REVIEW: the great nothing – the dirt

the great nothing are a band that give little away. Born out of 2020’s isolation and introspection, vocalist and guitarist Leo Craig partnered up with drummer Connor McColl to form a much needed outlet for the pair. In 2022 they would bring bassist Matty Ashton on board to solidify their three-piece line-up, and unleashed their debut single ‘coming clean’ later on. Their social media unveils little else on the band, displaying only the band moving from bright blue to deep orange (and a love of artichokes) as they dropped their second single, ‘dirty dishes’.  A soaring anthem that brings together elements of emo and hardcore, I’ve already gone out of my way to declare this as one of the best releases of the year, and the band themselves one of the most exciting new outfits in recent years. 

Now, heralded by dark red on their Instagram, the band have released their third song, ‘the dirt’. Gone are the bright melodies and stadium sized choruses, and instead we get a gritty, devilish affair, with brooding bass-lines and riffs, and vocals that alternate between a smoky growl and a fierce, crackling roar. Harmonies are pitched perfectly to provide a genuinely haunting tone, whilst the usage of layering the main vocal melodies with distortions and whispers keeps things constantly shifting and evolving.

The choruses in particular are utterly sublime, with deeply evocative lyricism (‘Forgive me angels, I am sin/Reach inside and pull the filth from within’), and an incredible, stark contrast between musical light and shade with the ferocious ‘gouge out the filth’ refrain that bookends the segment. The finger snap at around the 1:30 mark and the proceeding verse is also musical bliss, with its almost spoken word delivery giving the track a slick, swaggering change of pace.

The instrumentation defies any easy genre description. The harsh guitars and electronics are somewhat industrial in their nature, but the slower pace and fuzzy, bass laden groove is something that almost teeters on the edges of sludge and doom, particularly as the track culminates in a slow, lurching beat down at its climax. 

the great nothing are a band marching to the beat of their own drum. ‘the dirt’ is an undeniably thrilling track, and one that showcases just how much variety the outfit are capable of. Now with three incredible tracks under their belt, it’s clear that whatever formula they follow for their creative process is working, all the while retaining an air of mystery that makes the entire project all the more compelling. They may have arrived from nothing, but their future is far from empty. 

For Fans Of: Void Of Vision, Static Dress, Moodring, Spiritbox

Feature photo credit goes to Polarise Visuals.

Follow the band on social media below:

Twitter // Instagram // Threads // Spotify