ALBUM REVIEW: Who Are You When No One Is Watching? – Graphic Nature
Kent five-piece GRAPHIC NATURE have successfully nestled themselves into the alternative music scene with a sound that is hard to resist. Cleverly combining nu-metal and metalcore genres, it is no surprise that they have emerged as a band to watch. Their 2023 debut A Mind Waiting To Die was critically acclaimed, and the band have also become recognised for their must-see live shows, performing at the likes of Download, 2000Trees and Reading & Leeds festivals, and touring with the likes of SKINDRED, CANCER BATS and VENDED.
Just 17 months after the aforementioned debut, the band are back with their second full-length Who Are You When No One Is Watching?. This release is set to be their most raw and emotional yet with the album’s lyrical content centred around people’s true identity. Vocalist Harvey Freeman has described the album as being about “the idea of your true self showing through” – a concept that has greater depth than expected with Freeman stating that this notion appeared after a random attack on a train really affected him and he ended up wearing a mask on stage to hide his true feelings. “Lyrically, it’s a journey through a lot of different emotions I’ve personally been through in the space of 12 months. How I dealt with that was to write it onto paper and to put it into the songs. It’s my way of saying, ‘I’m not doing so good, here’s some shit I went through, here’s how I felt about it, here’s some things that have then come off the back of that.’ It’s really just about how everything can stem from one bad day in your life.”
Opener Who Are You? is a heavily distorted 36-second introduction which builds excitement for what’s to come. Locked In is the first full track and it certainly doesn’t disappoint, as Freeman‘s vocal style is just so impactful from the get-go. Blinded is next and just as great and hard-hitting as its predecessor. The production on this track is just impeccable with hints of influence from SPIRITBOX nestled in fantastically. Human‘s melody sounds like a synth-heavy SLEEP TOKEN, complete with further SPIRITBOX inspiration, whereas Something I’m Not is easily one of the album’s highlights, incorporating a nu-metal style rap from Freeman which works so well. This single was heavily inspired by Freeman‘s traumatic train experience and you can really hear the pain in his voice for the duration.
Breathe features more electronic elements in the production, but it is just as brutal and straight-talking as the rest. You can really hear the nu-metal inspiration in this track in particular with some of the melodies resembling that of KORN. Session24 sounds as though it could have featured on BRING ME THE HORIZON‘s Post Human: Nex Gen with hints of old school ENTER SHIKARI thrown in for good measure. Completely instrumental in nature, this is a pleasant and somewhat surprising addition to the track list. However, it’s short-lived as the band revert back to the pure heaviness they’re known for in N.F.A. and Fractured.
Low is one of the most honest and emotional tracks on the record, with Freeman pouring his heart out regarding his own personal mental health, which is sure to be very relatable to a lot of listeners. Unfortunately, lead single To The Grave is a little lacklustre by comparison, but the record returns to its usual high standard with the title track, which successfully combines drum and bass elements with a no-holds-barred metalcore heaviness which is just too good to ignore, before closer For You finishes things off in the best way possible.
Who Are You When No One Is Watching? is easily one of the best nu-metal/metalcore releases of the year. As well as the fantastic musical production, the band have really proven themselves in the last few years with their raw and honest lyrical content which is sure to be relatable to a lot of people. GRAPHIC NATURE are not just a generic nu-metal or metalcore band – they are so much more than that.
Rating: 9/10
Who Are You When No One Is Watching? is set for release on July 12th via Rude Records.
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