Languish., an alternative band from London, came together in an organic and serendipitous manner – Will and Jake met through a mutual friend, while Ben was discovered at a Your Demise gig after being involved in several music projects since college. Thom was recommended to the group by a mutual friend. Despite their diverse backgrounds and varied musical experiences, Languish.’s members share a common love for music, which has allowed them to create a sound that is both innovative and unmistakably their own. Their newest eerie EP is a great proof of that and comes as an eclectic blend of influences, including grunge, punk, indie rock, shoegaze and dreamy alternative rock.
Their sound is a blend of various influences, including Slowdive and 1990s grunge and shoegaze. They also draw inspiration from more modern post-punk bands such as High Vis, as well as hardcore adjacent bands like One Step Closer, Militarie Gun, and Anxious. However, the members’ diverse musical backgrounds also contribute to their unique sound, ranging from beatdown, punk, and hardcore to death metal, The Housemartins, and even Bruce Springsteen.
Drawing from their individual upbringings, the members of Languish. bring their distinct influences to the table, resulting in a sound that is both grounded and alternative. The band’s lyricist, Jake, taps into his personal experience of growing up in the care system to craft thoughtful and insightful lyrics that provide an alternative perspective.
As a band, Languish. frequently attend gigs together to keep up with new music and to ensure that they remain at the cutting edge of their genre. However, this shared passion for music sometimes leads to disagreements over which tracks to cover, a small price to pay for the musical synergy and creative energy that the band creates. With their diverse musical backgrounds, unique perspectives, and shared passion for creating new and exciting music, Languish. is one of the many IDIOTEQ-featured up-and-coming artists to keep an eye on in the alternative and underground music scene.
The band recently released their new EP “Hard To Reach,” which they describe as a project that was made with passion and dedication. As a nod to their DIY roots, they made the decision to take on as much of the project as possible themselves, including recording and mixing the songs.
“We wanted to push the quality of our sound versus the demo and cherry blossom so with that in mind, we recorded and mixed the songs ourselves, using Ben’s experience as a sound engineer and opted for a professional mastering studio because they could access gear that we couldn’t, which is essential for a good master. It also put the final polish on the songs and bring them to life.” – they commented.
The EP’s artwork was also a result of their DIY mentality, with the band’s drummer Will using his skills as a graphic designer to create it. Despite their self-sufficiency, the band has expressed interest in collaborating with other artists and creators in the future.
Speaking about their future plans, Languish. gave us some details about their plans for the coming months: “We’re looking to another release in a while, probably another single or an EP. Otherwise we’re writing more stuff, looking to get more gigs in, especially shows in more different scenes beyond just punk, we feel our sound can cross a few genres and it would be nice to play to different audiences and really push where we can go with the project. Also it’s a very different feeling being the heaviest bill on an indie show compared to the most melodic band on a hardcore bill. Both are fun and people mostly seem into it (we played with Sunami and No Pressure in Leeds and we didn’t clear the room so we can work on heavy shows it seems) which is great to see!”
Lastly, we asked the band to give us their quick track by track rundown for the new EP. The three-tracker album explores themes of trauma, responsibility, and resilience. Each track offers a personal commentary on the struggles of the band members, particularly Jake, who draws from his own experiences of growing up in a situation of addiction, poverty, and violence.
The lyrics touch on the importance of taking control of one’s trauma and not letting it affect others, as well as the challenges of maintaining loving relationships in the face of external factors. The EP ends on a message of hope, urging listeners to stop the cycle of trauma and start again with self-love and a positive outlook.
Words by the band:
Brick by brick is about Jake’s upbringing and how being from a situation where addiction, poverty and violence can leave a lifelong mark. There is also some emphasis for being responsible for your own trauma,however hard that is, no matter how it got there, it’s your duty to ensure that this doesn’t get passed onto partners, friends or family.
Solder is a song about the worst days. The ones where nothing feels worthwhile. Lyrically Jake’s pulling from his own relationships with family, they don’t have the most straight forward relationship and external factors make something that should be simple, hopeful and loving into something that is painful, confusing and difficult.
All Your Sons is the most direct song lyrically. Jake was placed in foster care when he was younger as his mother was an alcoholic, intravenous drug user. He doesn’t know who his father is either. This is him getting the bitterness and frustration he’s had for years out. Although his life hasn’t been normal, he doesn’t want his experiences to dictate his outlook on life. Jake believes that everyone is deserving of love and self love. ‘Stop the cycle, break the chains, start again, let love in” is a reminder that although things might not work out, it’s always important to carry on.
