‘…There is a coming-of-age movie just waiting to be written with Love As Always on the soundtrack…’
Edit 08/11/06: The band reached out and made an important clarification on ‘Real Friends’ is that the track is themed around addiction, although appreciated the thematic connections made regardless. Never be afraid to reach out if there is an important theme to your music that has been missed out in a review! – Ryan/VFR
Based across Hampshire and Wiltshire, emo four-piece Love As Always released their great debut EP, ‘Silver Linings’, in mid 2025, and have wasted no time in maintaining that momentum. A project focused on catharsis, delving into topics of love, grief, and mental wellbeing, the band re-emerged earlier this year with yet another impressive and emotive collection of outpourings.
The progression from Love As Always’ debut EP to ‘Bloom’ is a simple but highly effective one: this is their cinematic spin on emo and grunge, but twice as expansive, and twice as polished. Towering walls of fuzzy guitars envelop the listener with a shimmering beauty, whilst James Whiddett offers visceral, diaristic lyricism that is delivered brilliantly by his melancholic melodies and plaintive screams; the band’s willingness to lean into their heavier side only serves to strengthen this EP.
‘One In A Million’ is a beautiful anthem that drapes soaring, dreamlike melodies atop of immense, crushing riffs, bringing in screamed vocals for a tremendously cathartic bridge. ‘Bright Eyes’ explores loneliness with a simplistic yet visceral approach, draped shimmering cascades of guitars over crashing percussion, punctuated by weighty moments of quiet, whilst ‘Real Friends’ is lent a spirited sense of gentle defiance through the galloping drums and punchy guitar work, as Whiddett documents the importance of truly being there for those you proclaim to love.
There is a coming-of-age movie just waiting to be written with Love As Always on the soundtrack; these five bittersweet anthems are built for those long, melancholic drives home, face pressed against the rainy window. It is easy to imagine that, when given an LP format to work with, Love As Always could produce something truly remarkable; a testament to the violence that can be found in vulnerability and softness.
RATING: 78/100
For Fans Of: Casey, Worst Wishes, sunbleached, Bouquet, Being as an Ocean
Physical copies of the record are available to purchase here, and for a limited time is available as a bundle with Vienna’s ‘For Friends’ and Pen Name’s ‘Still Here’.
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