Meet No Closure. They are here to shake up the occasional humdrum of the local metal scene, and their debut EP is a genre-bending display of their brute create force.
Pushing against the grain, the Pretoria band bursts onto the scene on their own terms with Stitching the Sounds of Hollow Goodbyes—a well-made DIY project that reintroduces some familiar faces.
Comprising Estiaan Smith on vocals, Kyle Robertson on guitar, KT Molepo on bass and Juan van Niekerk on drums, they wear a sincerity that makes their vision believable.
“We’re finally doing it our way,” Robertson says. Their way is embroidered in an honesty that makes the band likeable, and in speaking to them, it’s clear that they have a great working relationship.
Smith explains, “We went to school together and have played in many different projects over the years.”
The EP is inspired by what Robertson calls a “phase” he was in. “I was listening to a lot of Counterparts, The Ghost Inside and Dying Wish,” he says.
This sound is all over their debut. “Saviours” offers anger as a raw emotion, and carrying this mood over is “Exit Wound”—a track that sounds like it came straight from the metalcore revival of the ‘2010s.
“Nothing to Lose” follows as a gut-wrenching tale of self-doubt, the heavier elements of the song helping to drive home crushing breakdowns and piercing riffs.
In many ways, Stitching the Sounds of Hollow Goodbyes represents a shedding of the skin for this band. It’s a form of releasing the past and making a fresh start. By wearing their hearts on their sleeves, No Closure makes themselves accessible to listeners in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Their infatuation with modern, melodic metalcore (and hardcore influences too) gives them a unique edge, and it feels like morphing something familiar with something new.
