Human Hands is a Midland emo band that formed in 2010. Four years later, after several splits and a self-titled seven inch, they finally released their first long player. It took a while for them to finish the record, as Clyde, the guitarist of the band, moved from Birmingham, England to Reykjavik, Iceland. But after two and a half years of writing, recording and a short-time hiatus the result is overwhelming.

The record includes six well composed emo songs. Beautiful melodies are combined with vocals somewhere between spoken word and desperate screams, which reminds me strongly of Indian Summer. Human Hands definitely understand their business - every single moment of the record is carefully thought out. The lyrics of the LP are socio-critical, pondering and do not borrow the emo cliché.

The last track “without warning” is my personal highlight of the LP. The intro of the song starts with twinkling guitars, changing slowly over to a shredding sound, while the pulsating drums are creating an anxious and grasping atmosphere. After the 4-minute overture the cracking vocals of Chaz are crashing in. From this point onwards the vocals alternate between spoken word and screaming, while the music perfectly accentuates the desperate tune. You couldn’t have wished for a better final for this record.

Human Hands’ debut full-length is definitely one of the most exciting emo records you will hear in 2014. Highly recommended.