Welsh alt-rockers Holding Absence have gone from strength to strength and their third album The Noble Art of Self Destruction – released 25 August via SharpTone Records – is no exception. With a hectic tour schedule and exceptional live show, the band are turning heads and capturing hearts all over the world.
Featuring the singles “A Crooked Melody”, “False Dawn” and “Scissors”, TNAOSD is the third and final part in a trilogy spanning love, loss and lessons learned, ending on a hopeful note. The album explores themes of change and growth with the idea that art is ever finished, only walked away from, and we can make peace with ourselves whilst working to be better.
We had a chat with frontman Lucas Woodland about the new record, touring Australia and more.
“It’s been a labour of love and it very much felt like a weight off my chest when it came out because it’s such an all-encompassing experience writing an album. But this is the end of a trilogy as well, so it almost feels like my whole life has been leading up to it. I know it sounds stupid, but somehow I’ve managed to make it a trilogy, so it’s bittersweet because these songs are no longer mine anymore – they’re everyone’s.”
The album is a beautiful and profound journey that reflects on personal development through hardships and experiences that many will relate to. From self-deprecating opener “Head Prison Blues” to empowering closer “The Angel in the Marble”, the 10-track project traverses a range of difficult emotions with a colourful palette.
“A big part of this experience is finding what truly matters amongst everything, which does kind of serve the purpose of the concept. What parts of us should we cling on for dear life to, and what parts should we make sure we’re purging of ourselves.”
Something that always stands out with this band is the poetry in Woodland’s lyrics. The lines ‘I am evanescent; a nothing to become/ I let the sickness in my mind metastasise’ from “Death Nonetheless” is a great example of his evocative style. Surprisingly, he doesn’t get a great deal of inspiration from classic literature, but rather comic books.
“First and foremostly, I joined a band to sing. People will call me a poet or whatever, but I didn’t really plan on ever writing lyrics as a kid. It’s kind of paradoxical almost that you can’t be a singer without writing lyrics, and those two skills are so different.
I don’t really have the attention span for reading, but I read a lot of comic books – some people like Alan Moore and Jonathan Hickman. There are comic books out there that read better than novels. If a word comes into my periphery, I’ll always put it in a bag. I’m always looking up the etymology of words, you know.”
Fresh off supporting Senses Fail on their North America tour, Holding Absence have kicked off their Australia tour supporting Thornhill in Melbourne last Friday with Bloom and Thousand Below. Hitting five cities across the country, the band is quickly becoming a favourite Down Under, with Woodland stating that Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are consistently among their most-streamed cities.
“The difference between Australian touring and UK touring is like worlds apart because we’ll play 20 shows in the smallest country, and in Australia you’ll play five shows in the biggest country. I’m a very big fan of the Australian scene and I have been for a long time, and it’s adopted us in a sense.”
Holding Absence have also managed to squeeze in three headline shows at Wollongong, Newcastle and Melbourne between the Thornhill tour, with locals such as Tapestry, Closure and Keepsake.
“The journey over here is catastrophic. It’s like 24 hours of flying and the timezone change means you lose a whole day as well, so getting over here is just so much hassle. So we figured if we can play some headline shows, we really wanted to show people how we do it back home essentially. It’s kind of like having your cake and eating it too.”
The band will then be returning the favour and taking Thornhill with them on a 20-date UK and Europe tour in November as soon the Prom Queen City tour wraps up. Kicking off on 3 November in Eindhoven, Netherlands and wrapping up on 28 November in Birmingham, England, they’re keen to take the Melbourne boys home for a while.
“We’re kind of reaching that point in our career where we’re accepting everything we can get, and I don’t want to say we’re doing too much, ‘cause too much still doesn’t feel like enough, but I’m excited to have the Christmas off.
We met Thornhill on our very first American tour and then a calendar year later we were on another America tour with them. We’re kind of like quiet Goliaths in both of our own little home scenes and we really wanted to show them how we do it on our own turf.”
As if all this wasn’t keeping them busy enough, Holding Absence will also be embarking on a 24-date USA and Canada tour in January and February next year – their debut headline run in the States after visiting four times – with Casey, Capstan and Acres.
“I feel like now is finally the time to stop supporting and really go out there. The ticket sales have been really promising and it’s kind of the dream for a British band. So to be headlining and potentially selling out venues there is crazy.”
You can buy tickets to all Holding Absence shows, including the Prom Queen City tour with Thornhill, HERE.
