That’s something Patrick specifically addresses on Heart To Heart, the album’s phenomenal final song, which is written as a letter to his infant son. A blistering rush of guitars and melodic vocals, it charges into a crescendo of rage and acceptance before fading, finally, to a solitary, scuzzy bassline. At which point E. E. Cummings joins the fray once more as he finishes his poem: ‘And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart / I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart).'
They’re incredibly powerful bookends, but the band should also get credit for the equally powerful in-between. Whether that’s the hypnotic yet belligerent pulse of The Years or the breakneck, soaring punk melodics of Eternal Life, the downtrodden timidity of Loverman or the ragged yet somehow beautiful surge of Get My Mind Right, it all makes for a short yet comprehensive exploration of humanity, catharsis and existence. In other words, it’s one of those rare records that not only helps you understand life more by capturing all its highs and lows, but also makes it better. Stunning stuff.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Title Fight, Quicksand, Movements
Between The Richness is out on now Run For Cover