Review: “The Wound” by The Distance

Some bands like to tell you their whole life story, others like to play their tarot cards close to their chest and let their music do the talking. Spanish Post-Hardcore quartet The Distance have been walking down the road less travelled for some time, their debut album “Prologue” setting the scene as a collection of simple and yet powerful songs that offer cathartic release in the search for inner peace. Vocalist and guitarist Yamil Ghazi is joined by backing vocalist and bassist Óscar D. Martí, guitarist Julián Gil and drummer Alberto Abad as the four piece seek solace and refuge from troubled times and weary minds, their sophomore album “The Wound” an intriguing offering…

Teetering on an emotional ledge like a woman in high heels trying to adjust her balance so as not to fall from a great height to an inevitable death on the jagged rocks below, Ghazi’s vocal performance for the first part of “Soil” is enough to serve as a warning about his Mental state. Building with a real warmth and depth of sound the band perform around him as his whispers become screams, the ending so abrupt that its as if the power has been cut to the studio. However the warmth returns with “A Heart Covered In Bruises“, a gentle rhythm that drifts between Post-Hardcore and Noise Rock creating the soundscape on which Ghazi’s screams rest. The clean toned guitars allow the bass and drums to sit more boldly in the mix, Alberto Abad’s performance on this one in particular a joy to behold but it’s not all as plain sailing as you might think. Little nuances haunt the cuts like Ghosts, appearing and disappearing just as quickly, their fleeting presence enough to entice you into listening again. The band have created music that follows the rich emotive qualities of the vocals with cuts like “Flowers” increasing in intensity as the singing turns to screams, all driven by a tight rhythm section. That perhaps takes influence from freeform Jazz with a couple of moments from Óscar D. Martí on the bass which shine through the dark clouds. There is a glory in the simplicity of “Saint Faith st.” with its delicate repeating patterns as they cascade like a waterfall, the vocal poetry that accompanies it as intriguing and inviting as a warm embrace from someone you used to know. The musicianship is impeccable, the bands abilities to paint in light and shade second to none with everything having a wonderful balance to it.

The second part of “Soil” doesn’t pick up where the first part left off, instead starting afresh to create a tune that sounds like the soundscape to sitting on a deserted beach on a hot summers day and enjoying the gentle crash of the waves upon the shore. Short and sickly sweet, it feels like palate cleansing piece to prepare the mind for the tensions of “Insomnia-Nightmare“, a cut that is just as gracefully melodic but that has a heart of darkness just below the surface. It’s like Ghazi is sitting in the therapists office, speaking his mind and sharing his restlessness and discomfort about not being the person he wants to be and not being able to settle. That’s a picture that is easy to relate to for anyone who has been through troubled times, the solution often harder to find than the fault. Misery loves company and so “I Thought You’d Take My Hand” is the open love letter from the one that was left behind. A cut deeper than the Mariana trench, this one is soaked in emotion that threatens to overspill into something heavier with false ending before returning to its glorious melancholia. Soul searching despite the pain, this one feels like acceptance is just around the corner before the screamo of “Letters” unfolds with a hummable melody and depth of meaning like no other. The grit and passion in these songs is unwavering, the strength in them shinning through. Cellist Laia Ferrer gives finale “Your Name” another dimension, the melancholic tones of her instrument adding depth and texture in graceful fashion without overpowering anything that The Distance create themselves. A soul stirring record with an honest and heart breaking lyrical narrative, this one is a fine example of the power of emotion as much as Post-Hardcore [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Soil (Part 1)
2. A Heart Covered In Bruises
3. Flowers
4. Saint Faith st.
5. Soil (Part 2)
6. Insomnia-Nightmare
7. I Thought You’d Take My Hand
8. Letters
9. Your Name

“The Wound” by The Distance is out 30th January 2024 via Sliptrick Records