Removing any semblance of rose-colored glasses and crushing them beneath the sole of their metaphoric boot, Pennsylvania quintet 156/Silence are done sugar coating the uncertainty, anger, and fear that they, and many others have felt over the course of the last couple years. Rather, pouring out their frustrations in the form of a brand-new EP, they found themselves contemplating a single gnawing question; what happens when there’s no light at the end of the hallway, just a never-ending corridor of lost hopes and self-deprecating thoughts?
According to the band, there is no escape.
Out October 29, Don’t Hold Your Breath is 156’s second offering via SharpTone Records and proof that a small package can still deliver a hefty punch. Containing four powerful tracks and recorded in only four days’ time, the EP is both a thematic ode to inescapable chaos and a prime study in calculated foresight.
Produced by Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos), mastered by Will Putney (Every Time I Die, The Ghost Inside, Knocked Loose), and written in tandem with a brand-new album, Don’t Hold Your Breath not only boasts several insightful hints, but stands out as the band’s most deliberate and confident sound to date.
Like an uneasy chill that shudders down one’s spine, 156/Silence’s latest release provides a haunting taste of what’s to come. For when darkness envelops the light, it’s only natural to feel both a heightened awareness of the present moment, and a ravenous hunger for what’s next.