EP Review: Whatever, Forever – Slowly Dying With You (Self Released)

A vision long growing in the shadows has packed a new direction much closer to the heart for Whatever, Forever as songwriters. Tracked, mixed and mastered by Clayton Segelov at The Brain Recording Studios, forthcoming EP, ‘Slowly Dying With You’, was a necessary chapter for the band in order to make it through 2020.

In their own words:

In times as dark as that the best thing we’ve learnt to do is write music that’s honest, vulnerable and accepting of the life as it is. In all its melancholic beauty.

Slowly Dying With You will be released on October 29th, 2021.

Not an EP to make you feel great but an EP to make you feel wistful and pensive. Whatever, Forever might draw from the worlds of pop-punk and emo but they’re certainly carving their own path here.

For starters, at times this EP has a lot more heaviness to it that puts it in post-punk territory. Then you have the melancholy melodies matched with morose riffs, pounding percussion and smooth, heartfelt vocals. It’s a combination that works so well and across the five tracks on show here, few won’t come out with a brooding feeling inside.

You can draw parallels to the likes of Funeral for a Friend and Deftones at times but overall, Whatever, Forever sound like their own thing. A despondent listen it might be but that doesn’t mean their talents can’t be admired.

Standout tracks? By far it’s Ghost of Me and This Is Not the End. The former has such an infectious rhythm and a stellar bout of head-banging heaviness. Whereas the latter is the most intense but also one of the most honest and open sounding tracks on the EP. The melodramatic outro is particularly cold.

You’ll be thinking about this EP long after its final notes have been played.

Whatever, Forever – Slowly Dying With You Full Track Listing:

1. Pieces Of Us
2. I Need You More Than You Know
3. Ghost Of Me
4. Paterson
5. This Is Not the End

Links

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