a group of musicians who not only have their fingers on the pulse of what the scene sounds like, but the creativity to take those modern innovations and style them into something wonderfully unique and truly engaging
the great nothing are a band that cause me quite a bit of trouble.
You see, even now, I’m starting to think about how those end of year lists are going to be shaping up; what’s going to be the album of the year? What songs will find themselves above the rest? All of this, done with the strict declaration of there being one entry per artist.
But how is it possible to pick a single best track from an absolute masterpiece of an EP?
But first, context. the great nothing are a band that have been in the works since 2020, born from the isolation and introspection of that limbo. Formed by vocalist and guitarist Leo Craig and drummer Connor McColl, the Manchester-based band later brought bassist Matty Ashton onboard, and truly set out to make 2023 their year.
Starting with ‘coming clean’ back in March, the band have released a small handful of singles across the span of the year, culminating in this four-track EP, ‘no one.’, which brings those singles together with a brand new track of the same name in a cohesive and exhilarating package. With their blend of emo and alternative metal, the great nothing have forged a sound that is just as My Chemical Romance as it is Sleep Token; a startlingly unique combination of soaring melodies and catchy hooks, incorporated with crushing heaviness and progressive musical ideas.
From the onset with ‘coming clean’, the band perfectly showcase their musical modus operandi. Slick verses with crunching guitar riffs and danceable percussion, exploding out into anthemic choruses that are just begging you to sing along, especially that central hook (‘I’m coming clean now/Please could you just help me out’). Craig’s are vocals are incredibly distinctive, with a brooding lower register that vaults into crushing gutturals with ease, perfectly bringing than desperate emotional weight to the whole affair.
‘dirty dishes’ follows up on these ideas with a brighter sound that weaves in more harmonies and a distinctly more punkish edge to it. The central looping refrain (‘Tear myself apart one final time[..]’) is paced in a manner that hooks under your skin and refuses to let go, and the beat switch in the second verse, featuring particularly fantastic hardcore styled percussion from McColl, is a fantastic moment, and a little Creeper in nature.
I’ve praised ‘the dirt’ once before on here; the crushing, doom-tinged scorcher of a track that brings in some fantastically dramatic moodiness, with Craig really showing off his unclean vocal strength, especially during the cataclysmic breakdown in the back end of the track. One thing I had not noted on the single review, however, was the attention to detail the great nothing have in terms of creating a rich soundscape to listen to; the little electronic flourishes throughout, some of which are only noticeable after multiple listens, bring life to the track in a way that’s hard to put into words. The music of the great nothing feels living and breathing; it follows its own rules.
Finally, the EP culminates in the six minute epic of ‘no one.’, a track which brings together all of the elements that the band have explored on those previous tracks, and weaves them into an absolute masterclass of a song. It’s a painfully ferocious beast that brings some gorgeous vocal harmonies to the soaring choruses, Craig’s vocal delivery being nothing short of spectacular, hammering home that central theme of hopelessness with beautiful brutality. The back end of the track is consumed by a fantastic progressive guitar solo backed by the intricate driving percussion of McColl and the thunderous backbone of Ashton.
Anyone who has spent even five minutes talking to me will know that I’m a firm believer that the current wave of British alternative is one of the strongest there has been in a very, very long time, and it’s bands such as the great nothing that give me the faith to say that. ‘no one.’ is an utterly phenomenal EP that represents a group of musicians who not only have their fingers on the pulse of what the scene sounds like, but the creativity to take those modern innovations and style them into something wonderfully unique and truly engaging.
If you are going to spend 17 minutes and 57 seconds doing anything this year, make it listening to this EP.
RATING: 94/100 – Excellent
For Fans Of: Sleep Token, Casey, Creeper, Void Of Vision, Modern Error
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