Holding Absence Deliver One Of The Best Albums Of 2026 With ‘Modern Life Is Lonely’

Our fellow scene sweethearts Holding Absence have returned with their fourth album, ‘Modern Life Is Lonely’. This marks their first release since 2023’s ‘The Noble Art of Self-Destruction’. This album dives a lot into the themes this band has explored in the past such as self inflection and love, while taking on more electronic elements into their signature sound. It makes for a pretty wonderful listen from start to finish, and fans are sure to have something to fixate on here.

One thing this album has as a strength is the choruses, they’re absolutely massive and they never lost a step with delivering something huge. Tracks like “Reflection” and “Heaven” bring such epic singalongs that are sure to translate beautifully into their live shows. Other tracks like “Whisper of a Dream” and “Scorched Earth” give us that sweet classic sound from the band when it comes to a comforting post-hardcore energy we crave. A track like “Take Me With You” is really nice to have in the middle of this record, to feel more intimate and gentle with its lyrics and delivery. A single like “Lucid Love” on paper would’ve had fans hesitating, but the song proves to be yet another banger on this record with how catchy and energy driven it is. And ending the album with “Kyoto Snow” is an absolutely masterful move, as they saved the best for last when it comes to that track.

It’s 2026 and it’s somehow still understated that Lucas Woodland is genuinely one of the best vocalists this scene has given us, and he shows it once again on this record. He knows how to belt out huge melodies and show off his range when the song calls for it. He goes beast mode on the bridge and outro of “Kyoto Snow”, and amps up the aggression on the second half of the title track. He gives his all every time, and this album only lends more to that top statement. I also gotta give a shout out to the production on this record, it really shines on all fronts instrumentally. The production really brings the best out of guitarist Scott Carey and bassist Benjamin Elliot. It makes their parts feel like part of the environment the songs create, and they lend a crucial part to it. And this production felt like the right way to go when the band starts to incorporate electronic elements into their music, in a pretty seamless fashion.  

I think Holding Absence has delivered an absolutely amazing record with ‘Modern Life Is Lonely’. They show that they can incorporate new elements into their top tier formula, and deliver both huge and emotionally gratifying tracks once again. It still cements the fact that they already feel like a modern scene staple, and that other bands could learn from them that genuine songwriting can never be beat.