Gone From Better – Bleak Midwinter CD EP

Here’s a neat release that arrived today at Thoughts Words Action headquarters. It was one of those parcels I expected after the holidays, so I am glad it arrived safe and sound. This particular release will be such a treat for fans of punk rock music. Bleak Midwinter is a debut extended play by Gone From Better, a New York-based solo project. This project differs a lot from the vast majority of contemporary punk rock acts, mainly because of the atmosphere it delivers through the compositions included within this EP. It unquestionably represents a bit of refreshment on the repetitious punk rock scene, which usually produces similar or nearly the same tunes all over again.

Bleak Midwinter carries three powerful melodic punk rock compositions that, without any doubt, span over many other genres as well. Perhaps Gone From Better explores the aesthetics of old-school melodic punk rock, but there is an impressive list of ingredients included from scratch to finish. Besides punk rock, you may stumble upon vividly hearable elements of early nineties pop-punk, grunge, alternative rock, rock, and metal. What constantly impresses me about Bleak Midwinter is how Gone From Better managed to combine these ingredients into a harmonious slab of well-articulated sounds. Each one of these three numbers sounds aggressive in one way or another, but on the other hand, it sounds melodic and pleasing. The sound is tight, heavy, dynamic, but at the same time mellow, soothing, cathartic in a beautiful way.

You’ll be surprised how the chord progressions, riffs, and other orchestrations delivered on guitars sound heavy, energetic, and bone-crushing. However, there are enough melodies, harmonies, and other impressive sonic delicacies that serve as such a nice contrast to the beforementioned heavy riffs. The cleverly assembled basslines and massive sounding rhythmic segments also contribute to the heaviness of this release. Everything from song structures and arrangements to the accentuations and ambiance is wisely planned to enhance the listening experience. Soundwise, it’s more than clear that Gone From Better was inspired by so many music styles during the writing, composing, recording, and producing this material, so Bleak Midwinter bursts with so many moods and vibes from beginning to end. It’s a superb recording worth checking out. The entire EP is available for listening on all streaming services, but you can also grab a compact disc directly from Gone From Better.