EP Review - Why Are You Still Dreaming? by Heaving.
EP Artwork for Why Are You Still Dreaming? by Heaving.
There is a fine line between taking inspiration from a band and emulating one under a different name and calling it your own. A very real instance of “Can I borrow your homework? I promise I will change some stuff.” Whilst inspiration can be seen as flattery, it is easy to be tempted to copy artists paving the way after they find newfound success. People see what is blowing up; suddenly, you have bands, maybe without realising it, copying and quietly stealing core artistic ideas visually and sonically.
Heaving. dropped an interesting concept of a three-track EP that loops infinitely with seamless transitions even between music videos. The EP pulls heavily from NU-metalcore and post-hardcore. On paper, it looks ambitious and something new, but in execution it's a gimmicky, fusion mess of a band.
The seamless transitions are the strongest aspect of “Why are you still dreaming?”, but it's also their biggest gimmick. The songs flow well into each other, but once the track gets further into its run time, there is little to no substance other than on the nose song writing about being powerless, helplessness, and relationships feeling like a car crash.
The guitars on “Why are you still dreaming?” constantly tease with the ramped-up gain heaviness without landing anything memorable throughout. It truly sounds assembled around recognisable bands rather than curating its influences and assembling it into something that screams this is what heaving. is. Flashes of Glassjaw-style chaos, force-fed NU-metalcore style from Bodyweb, and a clear caution to artistic integrity of emulating Static Dress with their blown-out bass and guitars, and artistic vision of the band as a whole.
The standout issue is pacing on “Why are you still dreaming?”.Throughout each song, there are slideshows of their pursuit to copycat different bands, big manufactured emotional climaxes that come off weak and predictable. With each shit breakdown, it churns out another low-blow mockery of bands with substance.
Credit is due for recording this independently in their bedroom, as it can be an impressive feat, but that doesn’t mean it does this release any favours. Layers fight each other rather than live in harmony, and guitars get swallowed up in gain, causing a severe loss of texture. The vocals get buried under the mess of instruments rather than being one with each other. The vocals are one of the weakest elements here. It's delivered with heartbroken, melodramatic post-hardcore style and aggressive, lackluster performances riddled between each breakdown.
Heaving. as a band, clearly have a lot of talent behind them. A willingness to experiment with their music and videos on an independently backed budget. The issue is, the talent is masked behind imitating a band's identity. This release is too heavy-handed and scrappy; with music being so regularly available, there are 50 other bands that do this style better in almost every way under the same circumstances. The drive for the band to create its own has failed, and sadly, ambition and talent alone can't blur the theft of their precursors' sound and imagery. Heaving. please put the mask down and make some cool shit because this isn't it.
FFO: Static Dress, Bodyweb, The Callous Daoboys
SCORE: 1/10
Why Are You Still Dreaming is out on Wednesday, 22nd July, released independently.
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