ALBUM REVIEW: Chalk Hands – The Line That Shapes the Coast of Us

‘…the sound of a band achieving long held sonic goals, and sculpting the art that they have long been destined to make…’

Brighton screamo four-piece Chalk Hands emerged all the way back in 2017, with the release of their debut EP, ‘Burrows & Other Hideouts‘. In 2022, the band would finally drop their debut record ‘Don’t Think About Death‘, and have since gone on to become cult favourites within the post-hardcore realm, especially in continental Europe. Confrontational and impassioned, their sound takes listeners back to the 00’s golden days of the scene, with instrumentation that is deftly performed and suitably complex, accompanied by vocals that tear themselves apart with visceral catharsis.

It has been four long years since their daunting debut, with the band having toured near relentlessly, supporting scene legends such as Frail Body and Touché Amoré in the process. This year, however, has finally seen the release of the band’s follow-up record, ‘The Line That Shapes The Coast of Us‘,

Sometimes bands will use a new album era as an attempt to recreate themselves sonically, flexing new genres and approaches. That is not quite the case here, with Chalk Hands instead electing to keep to a similar screamo sound as to the one they produced on their debut. However, in place of reinvention is perfection; ‘The Line That Shapes the Coast of Us’ is the sound of a band achieving long held sonic goals, and sculpting the art that they have long been destined to make. Intricate guitar work darts about beneath frenzied vocals that alternate between English and French, whilst a roiling foundation is established by an impactful rhythm section.

‘Ember Lane‘ kicks things off on a genuinely beautiful note, as rousing brass pierces a mist of classic guitars, before spilling forth with riffing that wouldn’t go amiss in a midwest emo track. A distinctly celebratory tone to the instrumental sits in sharp contrast to the nostalgic despair of the lyricism, reminiscing over a time when life felt fulfilling and meaningful. ‘Pauvre De Moi‘ rattles with a cataclysmic anxiety, percussion thundering away beneath a towering vocal performance, before the track gives way to a paradoxically claustrophobic expansiveness, screaming vocals sitting distantly behind mournful guitar work.

The rapturous musicianship escalates to another level on the monolithic ‘Bite Marks‘. Gary Marsden guides the band through rhythms that range from hardcore two-step beats to towering walls of crushing blackgaze, the complexity of his performance being executed with a masterful degree of restraint that still permits the rest of the track to shine. The gang vocal segments that are threaded throughout the track tug at the fibres of your being, calling upon you to immerse yourself thoroughly in Chalk Hands’ misery. It is undoubtedly a highlight of the record, although that is not to say that the album is of low quality from then out; there are no low points when Chalk Hands are in charge.

‘Peregrine‘ is another French language track, but the language barrier offers no resistance to enjoyment. A thick, fuzzy instrumental offers allusions to shoegaze, barrelling down upon the listener atop of coarse, scraping screams, before arrive at a climax that is nothing short of apocalyptic. ‘Breaking Waves‘ conversely frolics with a folkish twang, with lyrics that sing of bittersweet acceptance in the face of our traumas. For a band that have often sounded so darkly daunting, it is a pleasant surprise to hear them taking a distinctly playful approach to their musicianship, without losing any of the cathartic edge that makes them so compelling to begin with. It is moments like this that demonstrate the ways in which the record exists as a testament to the confidence that the band have developed over the past four years.

The record rallies towards a glorious conclusion with the one-two punch of ‘Your Skin Is Gold’ and ‘Sleep Tapes’, with the band’s musicianship elevating to a new level of cinematic grandeur. The former is a particularly dreamy cut that approaches the five minute mark; guitar shimmer with a tender optimism, conveying a hopeful, restless yearning piercing through ceaseless doubts. The instrumental introduction gives way to a radiant main body, before ebbing away on a waltzing climax of chanted vocals. All of this is rounded off wonderfully on the wistful acoustic closing track, musing on what fate awaits us when those lines that shape us finally erode away.

Chalk Hands are easily destined to remain the champions of the underground alternative scene with what they have achieved here. Bold and unrelenting, ‘The Line That Shapes the Coast Of Us‘ is everything that one could hope for in a sophomore record, and a little extra besides, sitting well next to the beautiful work that the band had constructed prior. If it takes another four years for Chalk Hands LP3, then so be it; this is screamo worth waiting for.

RATING: 82/100

For Fans Of: Frail Body, Birds in Row, La Dispute, State Faults, As Living Arrows

Physical copies of the record are available to purchase here.

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