The South Coast has time and time again proved to be a hotbed when it comes to producing noteworthy underground bands, most notably Southampton and Brighton. Nevertheless, neighbouring coastal city Portsmouth aren’t to be ignored. This week Portsmouth natives Misgivings release their debut album, ‘Hermitage’ through Lockjaw Records. In short, it’s a gruff melodic punk rock at its finest yet if you dig a little deeper, the quartet have a tendency to pull at your heartstrings.
“Isolation is a big theme on the record, for better or for worse. A lot of the songs deal with how modern life encourages connectivity and overstimulation but how people still feel an absence of human connection,” explains founding guitarists/vocalist Will Pearce. “Some of the songs are about political events of the last few years and divisions in society and communities but others are more about everyday life, as well as my work in mental and social care.”
Besides its social and political conscience, ‘Hermitage’ thrives on driving raw hooks and combines it with the gut-wrenching power of Iron Chic, with hints of The Flatliners, Leatherface and Hüsker Dü appearing throughout. Songs such as ‘The Artless Life’ and ‘On Your Tongue’ ring out with emotional defiance, while ‘Johhny Come Late’ and ‘The Last Word’ hark back to fist-in-the-air punk spirit.
We’ve teamed up with Lockjaw Records to premiere ‘Hermitage’ in full. On its release, Will told us “We are beyond excited. We’ve never been happier with a recording we’ve done before and we are looking forward to getting it out there.”
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‘Hermitage’ by Misgivings is released on 7th December on Lockjaw Records (order here)
Misgivings links: Facebook | Instagram
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