Album/EP

Lastelle - Delicate (EP Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

Mar 1, 2021

7 min read

Lastelle – Delicate EP
Released: 26 February 2021

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After a little bit of a break, I am back and ready to start my year of music. I am starting it massively with UK atmospheric, post-hardcore band Lastelle and their recently released EP Delicate.

Starting Delicate is ‘Distant Bodies’ which begins with gorgeous melodic vocals from Mike Hayden who impressively is also the band's drummer. The screams from Adam Rigozzi come in soon after, and they work with the melodies perfectly. This song has fantastic bridges that stop and start the different sections. This album is full of emotion, which starts from the very beginning of this song.

https://youtu.be/BuiDtrY5Acg

‘Only Apathy’ slows things down and is a beautiful, emotional song that will be an incredible sing-along when fans finally get to see it live. Rich Lester and Jonjo Williams’ guitars weave through this song and provide a warm bridge, the instruments and vocals build-up, and listeners will have goosebumps the whole time. The song's lyrics tell of heartbreak with "I feel the familiar touch of lonely hands / But it's not you when I look in your eyes". Anyone who's been in a loveless relationship with someone who has become a stranger will relate.

Next up is ‘Coping Without A Cure’ which is another slow banger but an inspiring, sad song, there’s nothing I like more than a happy-sad song! This song is where you can hear the band's atmospheric style well, and all of the band members play incredible roles in this crashing epic. The emotion peaks in this song and it talks about someone experiencing Alzheimer’s, knowing they're not the same and hoping their loved ones will remember them as the person they were before it the disease took hold.

https://youtu.be/QTcRJBfTrfs

The latest single, ‘Departure’, is another song with a heavy theme that Bassist Freddie Whatmore explains is about the personal and mental process of losing a loved one. The fantastic bassline shines through in this song. The soaring vocals and heavy screams are yet again perfect together, and this song is one of the heaviest on the album with a great breakdown. Being a breakdown lover, I think this one could have been brought to the song's forefront a bit more instead of being in the background. Don't be shy; bring your breakdowns to the front!

‘Reverie’ is a short but beautiful instrumental, it sounds joyous and triumphant in contrast to most of the EP. This song leads into the beautiful ‘A Letter Unread’, which starts off sounding like a Sleepmakeswaves type song. Then the anguished screams start. This song is incredible; the melodies are sad but reminiscent, the screams are anguished and the drumming is on fire. This song is yet another that builds to such heights and hits you in the chest—what an incredible way to finish off a fantastic EP.

https://youtu.be/NIGJglpZpjA

Lastelle have been around since 2018, and sadly I admit I was not familiar with them before this review. I am glad I have had the opportunity to listen to this release, these are all incredibly talented musicians, playing different instruments and parts and all lending vocals at different times. I love that their sound is reminiscent of early post-hardcore but with their own added flavour of atmospheric-ness and sound. Off of the strength of this EP, I cannot wait to see what they do next.