EP REVIEW: Coming Of Age (Deluxe) – Hongza
Listeners have access to so much music now. So many new artists. An abundance of new releases every week. Inevitably, we take it for granted sometimes. You can find yourself skipping through songs recommended to you, saving a song you kind of vibed with ‘for later’ and never revisiting it, or telling yourself you’ll look that band up at some point only to forget when the next song comes on. It can be a sad reality. But what it does mean is that when an artist finally makes you stop what you’re doing and really listen, you know it’s something special. Well, HONGZA is that artist, and Coming Of Age is that EP.
Lead single, Lovesick, isn’t a new track. It was released in 2024. But it’s a dreamy yet energetic mix of shoegaze and pop-punk that stands the test of time the way that tracks with a little something different about them do. For it to be re-released two years later as part of the deluxe Coming Of Age EP is a welcome step back into the spotlight.
HONGZA goes one step further for Coming Of Age, offering a reworked alternate version of the track, and it’s clear from the first listen that this was the right move. Lovesick (Alternate Version) is a four-minute journey through HONGZA’s musical range. Easing in slowly with lo-fi, stripped-back synths and yearning vocals delivering the bittersweet line “I hate feeling lovesick”, it’s the calm before the storm. The introduction of drums signals that the track is about to build up into something different, a promise which it delivers on. The reworked Lovesick really leans into the EP title Coming Of Age, embodying the be-all-end-all feeling of teenage heartache.
Outside of Lovesick, the rest of the EP is just as strong. The second track, She Changes The Weather (which also receives the Alternative Version treatment later), is a sunny track that shakes off the melancholy of the opener and replaces it with an upbeat rhythm and lyrics catchy enough to keep you singing “she changes the weather” for the rest of the day.
But the real gem of the EP is Stuck In It. Showcasing a winning combination of distressed vocals and existential questions such as “Do you struggle with yourself?” it’s on the darker side of the tracklist, a side HONGZA does so well. Stuck In It flips back and forth between mellow guitar notes and thrashing drums, ending with a layered wall of sound that offers a rougher sound than the tracks that came before it. Impressively, HONGZA’s echoing vocals effortlessly tie the transitions together, resulting in a level of depth it’s easy to get lost in.
Following on from this, I Hate My Skin slows things down, without losing the raw emotion of Stuck In It. Here, HONGZA keeps the instruments light to begin with, the repetitive, muted drum beat and guitar loops allowing you to focus on the deeply personal thoughts being laid bare in lines like “My identity fades away, I disappoint myself again.” For the final minute, the track erupts into a powerful cathartic release of shouted vocals, before ending with a whisper.
The EP feels like an addictive taster of the talent HONGZA has to offer, and if this is him truly Coming Of Age, we’re truly in for something special when his sound is fully mature.
Rating: 10/10
Coming Of Age (Deluxe) is set for release on July 29th via Killabop.
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