Hold//Fire release debut album
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Hold//Fire release debut album

Hold//Fire frontman Andy Forssman had only written three or four demos when the band formed early last year. It took six months of hard-working and writing, jamming and playing before they finalised the eight tracks that would become their debut album The Space in Between. Heavy guitars and beating, driving rhythm carry the sound of the band’s punk and heavy rock influences beside vocals toned with emotion.

Featuring brothers Andy (vocals, guitar), Mat (guitar) and Jamie (drums) Forssman and Paul Doery (bass), the Warncoort four-piece premiered their debut music video ‘Lost’ from their forthcoming album in mid-September. Written quickly in the lead singer’s kitchen, the track is moody and sets the scene for the album.

‘Lost’ opens hauntingly, the lead vocals flow out, reverberating slightly over the slow strum of the electric rhythm. The song comes together for the chorus, the harmonies hanging distantly, the incoming drum carrying the track along. By the three-minute mark, the band’s heavier sound comes to life, the electric guitar cutting across, the drummer’s cymbals crashing to life.

The album’s emotional theme and heavy sound come as a form of expression for lead-singer Andy. “The album was written during a pretty heavy time for me personally” he revealed. “I was going through a separation and adjusting to a lot of change, so naturally there were a lot of emotions thrown in the mix and I was definitely using music and writing as a way to process and express where I was at. “

“The whole album marks a very significant point in time for me. Musically we weren’t really trying to achieve a particular sound, we really just wanted to be true to each song. This has led to a fair bit of diversity in style between each song. Ancient Games is quite rocky and intense, where Bones has almost an alt-country feel.”

Producer Sam Johnson initially tracked the album’s drums, followed by Andy slowly tracking the remaining instruments and vocals for the release. “The songs themselves came together quite easily as our intention was always to create something that we can achieve live.”

Hold//Fire return to the Barwon Club after a run of recent Geelong shows on October 25 to celebrate the release of The Space in Between, supported by The Wonder and Geelong alt-rockers Hiddenite. “For this show, we’re actually going to play the album in full, in the order of the recording, with maybe a surprise or two thrown in along the way.”

You can find The Space in Between on Spotify, or in CD or 12” vinyl form on the band’s Bandcamp. They’re loud, and they rock: lookout for more music videos and shows from Hold//Fire in the very near future.

Written by Thom Devereux