Hands Like Houses - A Much-Delayed Rant

       Innovation is a terrifying thing. It means casting aside what's warm and familiar and setting adrift into new (and potentially hostile) territory. Often, it's the difference between praise and condemnation. It means creativity and difficulty in teaching yourself to think differently. For all of these reasons, the sudden influx of post-hardcore clone bands makes a lot more sense. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? All too often, bands accept this ideology and, ultimately, become nothing more than a face in the crowd (no pun intended), another set at Warped that people nod in time to and then forget, another opening band that's doomed to break up in a year after a small feature some magazine.
        And that's why innovation is ultimately the more profitable route. Bands that begin production and release with their own unique sound stand a much better chance than the chug-chug doppelgangers that we deal with today. To be completely honest, sometimes it fails, but when it succeeds, holy hell it works. It might not be a surefire moneymaker, or 'acceptable', but compare bands like Enter Shikari or Blessthefall to Sleeping with Sirens or Abandon All Ships. The latter play to what's popular - love songs and synth-y chug, while the former aren't afraid to experiment. Blessthefall's metal-inspired riffs and Shikari's dubstep breaks make listening to the bands experiences instead of ways to kill time.

          With that being said, let's look at one of the summer's newest trailblazers - Canberra, Australia post-hardcore outfit Hands Like Houses. The upstart sextet delivered their distinct brand of post-hardcore to the world in March, with the release of sleeper hit Ground Dweller. With only a single lyric video on YouTube to their name, the band has nevertheless enjoyed a huge cult following in the underground. Currently on tour with Glass Cloud, Like Moths to Flames, and We Came as Romans, Hands Like Houses are only on their second tour ever, and it's their first time out of native Australia.
            But let's talk about the music. As one of the first bands I checked out this summer, I was completely blown away. I'm not going to sugarcoat it - these guys are one of the summer's best newcomers. With a mixture of pulse-pounding instrumentals, augmented by singer Trenton Woodley's soaring vocals, Ground Dweller held me spellbound throughout. It's been three months since I first listened to 'Antarctica' and, subsequently, the rest of the album, and I can honestly say Hands Like Houses has kept me enthralled despite having only eleven songs to their name.
              Every song has its own texture and feel, and keeps the intensity at an all-time high, even without unclean vocals and breakdowns. Heartfelt lyrics about the fears of leaving home, including a unique take on Peter Pan in the aforementioned 'Antarctica', and cameos from Matty Mullins (Memphis May Fire) and Tyler Carter (ex-Woe Is Me) keep things interesting. Live, the band delivers, with a sound that's better than in the studio, and bassist Joel Tyrrell showing his affections for guitar throws (at one point, he threw his bass a solid ten feet in the air and caught it). Though the band was given a tiny set during Scream It Like You Mean It!, and only at the beginning, they were one of the bands I was most excited to see.
                The band is getting a feature in next month's AP as 'the thunder from down under'. Almost everyone exposed to them says that, despite some lyrical failings, Hands Like Houses are an incredibly fun and catchy band. That's fine - Ground Dweller is a first album, and the Hands Like Houses' new take on post-hardcore more than accounts for some small mistakes. I'm incredibly excited to see the band's direction in the coming months. This album is a must-buy.
You can listen to 'Antarctica' here: