With their latest album, Hiraeth, Twelve Days in June delivers a powerful dose of 90s alternative rock nostalgia fused with raw emotional depth. Released on October 18, 2024, the album is a guitar-driven homage to the angst and grit of the post-Nirvana era, combining grunge, shoegaze, and alternative rock in a sonic exploration of grief, isolation, and existential reflection.
The album opener, “Numb,” is a visceral anthem of disillusionment and heartache. The track kicks off with gnarly guitar riffs that capture an immediate sense of weariness. With lyrics like “I don’t care much about anything, now that you’re gone”, the song builds into an electrifying chorus of searing guitars and thundering drums, capturing the essence of love turned bitter.
In “Undertow,” the band’s sound deepens with a melancholic wall of sound that envelops the listener. The vocals here are heavier and more intimate, as the singer opens up about vulnerability and despair. Drums rumble like crashing waves, pulling the listener into the emotional undertow. One of the most gut-wrenching pieces on the album, “Going Home” explores the despondency following betrayal. The heavy, buzzing guitars amplify the agony of lost love, building a gritty sonic landscape that feels both raw and relatable.
The Wanderer closes out the album with a brooding sense of reflection. With a slower, somber tempo, this track is a haunting meditation on loneliness and the toll of wandering through life detached. The singer’s voice, deep and steady, captures the pain of a soul torn between longing and solitude.
In Hiraeth, band founder Dave Hulegaard revisits the golden age of alternative rock, drawing on influences from icons like The Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, and The Lemonheads. For fans of 90s rock longing for an emotional deep dive, Hiraeth is a journey worth taking—loud, vulnerable, and unapologetically intense.
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Photo credits: Sarah Wright Photography
Review by: Naomi Joan