Last Hounds: Running With The Pack

LAST HOUNDS have been waiting a while to share their debut full-length with the world. Forming in 2013, the Midlands-based five-piece have a few EPs to their name, but like so many others the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the brakes on right as they were putting the finishing touches to what would become their first LP, entitled Burden. Fortunately, the wait is over, and we join vocalist Mike Skelcher, bassist Ben Taylor and guitarist Tom White just a few weeks before the album arrives via Venn Records. It’s clear all three of them are pretty excited about it, and they have good reason to be. Burden is a fierce slice of hardcore punk that captures the very spirit of the genre. It’s a defiant, motivational record, one that isn’t afraid to tackle tough topics while also boasting a strong sense of camaraderie and fun.

“The best way to describe it in a nutshell is like social commentary,” explains Skelcher of the vision behind LAST HOUNDS. “I appreciate there’s lots of politically charged bands at the moment – there’s lots going on as well. We kind of try and go a little bit deeper than that and hit the points that are happening on our level that we know affect every single person. So if we can make some music for people to feel better and punch something at the same time – and feel incredible – that’s the key.” Taylor is quick to agree, adding: “It’s just like trying to make music that doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from, doesn’t matter what background you come from… everyone who listens to it can take something from it and relate to it.”

Eight years into their career, and COVID notwithstanding, a full-length has definitely been a long time coming for LAST HOUNDS, who now find themselves with a clear idea of who they are and what they want to sound like. “We’ve definitely grown up a little bit from our first EP,” admits White. “What’s helped a lot is that when we went in to do the album we actually had a big genre of where we wanted to place ourselves. Also our producer was from that background and he kind of made us sound a little bit heavier.”

Taylor agrees that the band have evolved “massively” in the years since they first started out, saying: “Obviously we’ve all been through a hell of a lot in the last two years, let alone everything else, like normal life. People change and I think it’s just important that you grow with that. We’ve changed so much, even if you just look at photos of us since the first few EPs.”

Of course, for a band with the amount of energy that LAST HOUNDS exhibit on Burden, it’s no surprise the live experience factors heavily into their song-writing. The five-piece have actually already made quite the live reputation for themselves, even landing a tour with the inimitable SKINDRED, who they praise for their “calm professionalism.” They’ve learnt a lot from such experiences, with Taylor explaining: “Anything that we write we think how’s this gonna come across in a live setting? Is it LAST HOUNDS enough? Is it gonna give us that energy on stage to actually play live? And if it doesn’t then we’re like ‘right, change it’. That’s almost the final test once we go into the rehearsal rooms.”

As mentioned, a large part of what makes LAST HOUNDS so compelling on Burden is the sense of brotherhood that you can hear within their music. White sums it up well: “We’re all like best mates… There’s so many times where you’re in a van for six hours together, you’ve got to make it fun and you’ve got to make it enjoyable, and I think that’s kind of come into Mikey’s writing style and putting all the gang vocals on. We are a group of really nice guys who actually get on and we’re doing this because we love it, not because we feel like we have to.”

Gang vocals aren’t the only thing that lend Burden its camaraderie. Skelcher in particular has a strong ear for a melody, with the record stuffed full of huge hooks that feel tailor-made for singing along to in a big group of mates. He explains: “I love a big chorus. Growing up listening to music, anything that had a massive anthemic chorus where everyone’s singing – I’m a sucker for something like that. We have the heavy riffs and the big breakdowns and stuff, but deep down I still  think that everyone’s got that guilty pleasure of wanting to sing a big cheesy anthem chorus.”

All this combines to turn Burden into a record that’s both fiery and accessible at the same time, with the band agreeing that there seems to be more of an appetite for music like theirs at the moment than there has been in a while. Amid a slightly tangential discussion of Taylor’s adoration for BRING ME THE HORIZON in particular, they point to the success of bands like WHILE SHE SLEEPS, HOLDING ABSENCE and ARCHITECTS as giving them hope for the future of heavy music in the UK. They have plenty of reason to be optimistic, with their long-awaited return to live shows providing a particular source of excitement among the trio. Going forward, Taylor asserts that “the only way is up”, while White concludes “we want to put our stamp on the scene really.” With Burden, they should do just that.

Burden is out now via Venn Records.

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