Quiet Lions recently returned with ‘The Long Recovery’ EP, the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Absenteeism’ album. As we all know, a lot has happened in the past five years – personally, professionally and beyond – and this is reflected in the EP’s topics of parenthood, fatigue and workplace existentialism.
A wall of guitar noise opens ‘Weigh Me Down’ as Michael Williams sings: ‘Losing my grip that was once a foothold and now I feel my feet slip’. He goes on to talk about having ‘too much to unpack’ while trying to find hope in a turbulent world. It finishes with perfectly pitched group harmonies grappling with Black Peaks-esque riffs. ‘Disappearing Act’ has a post rock-inspired intro that veers into a more angular sound as the band tell the subject: ‘Act without thinking, that’s all that you do’. The vocal harmonies are a key feature of the band’s sound and they return as the song breaks down to give breathing space as they sing: ‘The damage is done’.
‘Alone in the Static’ finds Michael opening up about anxiety and ‘life’s uncertainties’ before revealing ‘I lose myself when I’m with you’. There’s a big ending with a defiant ending, complete with calls of ‘one day I’ll be a hero’, that reminded us of the recently reformed Hope of the States. ‘One Rule’ is an altogether more mathy proposition with vital instructions: ‘These are the moments that matter. Hold on to the words that they say’.
The closing ‘The Modern Age’ clocks in at over 8 minutes and touches on the climate crisis and greed of modern-day capitalism – ‘Shelter from the storm, shelter from the heat. Put it in my credit card, let’s grab a bite to eat’ – before building and building into a breathtaking finale that throws in big hooks, gorgeous strings and a warning there’s ‘no way of escaping mother nature’s rage’.
It may have taken a long-ish time for ‘The Long Recovery’ to arrive, but it’s well worth the wait.