The up-and-coming Leeds band, Love Rarely, just released their debut album “Pain Travels”, mixing math-rock with emo and hardcore influences. This mix is what makes their sound one of the most refreshing and exciting on the UK alternative scene.
The band doesn’t shy away from stories about trauma and the dark corners of life; it embraces these beautifully in their lyrics, feeling so open and vulnerable. This is, for me, so much more than just an album; it feels like a diary talking about the collective experience of family trauma and toxic households. The band itself describes it as: “A journey of attempting to cope with life when you might not have been dealt the best hand.”
Pain Travels lyrics are supported by such a unique sound that feels heavy but at the same time is filled with emotional and almost hopeful riffs. All the tracks show us this vulnerable sound, this mix between clean singing and breaking into screams, that it almost becomes beautifully unpredictable at times.
Their album opener, “Will”, was the first song I’ve ever heard of them and it serves as a beautiful introduction to this album. The swancore-inspired riffs mixed with the duality of vocals introduce us to an album that is like a mix of so many influences, combined into a great new package that’s just fresh to listen to. The second song of the album, “Repulse,” is one of the hardest and heaviest tracks of the album, feeling heavily inspired by hardcore bands.
“Haunted” is showing us a more up-beat sound, while the lyrics still feel vulnerable and melancholic. It is easily one of my favourites of this album. My other favourite, “Mould”, is surprisingly catchy. I can almost see some pop-punk and alternative rock influences in that song, as well as the usual hardcore and math-rock which is never missing on this album.
The closer, “Through Families”, is bringing us back to a more intimate and sadder side of the album. Quite the mood change after a few of the more upbeat songs. It feels beautifully crafted and summarizes the album perfectly. Love Rarely is able to show us emotional vulnerability, catchy riffs as well as hardcorey screams.
Pain Travels is a great album that shouldn’t be missed out on by fans of the Leeds music scene and way beyond.
