Review: Provider Lacrimosa EP

Before I get into the review, we need to go back to a time when dish towels were still absorbent and they didn't sell premixed alcohol. Around 2005 to 2009 the Durban hardcore scene was thriving. Not just the hardcore scene but the whole Durban music scene. There was Sibling Rivalry, Fruits and Veggies, The Rising End, Go! Go! Bronco, Colin Grove, City of Gates and many others. Kids were going to shows, bands were giving it their all and there was a general feeling of stoke in the air.

I remember getting home from shows, lying in bed and feeling as though I was a part of something. At some point all of that changed. Bands disbanded, crowds decrowded and people unpeopled. Durban has always had the mist of apathy floating around the humid streets but it felt like a whole lot of factors gathered together and bid the scene adieu.

Whenever new bands form in Durban we cling on to them as if they are a beacon of hope, a beacon of what once was. It was the same with Provider. Will they single-handedly reignite the scene? Will they make me feel the way I felt about music when I was 17?

They refer to themselves as a screamo influenced hardcore band and I can't put it any better myself. Listening to their album is arduous and I mean that in a positive sense. The theme of mortality features in all the songs and it really takes it out of you. The instrumental is beautiful and emotive, and Will Edgcumbe's vocals feel like they are coming from the very depth of his being. With that said, when I listen to it, I can't help but feel like it would be better to experience it live. The recording isn't bad but it lacks something. The sound doesn't feel as full as it should be.

Also I expected something a bit less generic. Yes they have procured a nice blend of hardcore and screamo but with the members of their band being as immersed in music as they are, I thought there would be more progression and musical-boundary-pushing.

The real stand out track for me was 'The Pearl.' I am a sucker for gang vocals but it feels so brutally honest and simple. With the lyrics "it's a terrible thing to die too old, it's a terrible thing to die too young" being shouted out over and over again you get lost in thoughts about life and death.

Overall it's a good effort but in the future I hope they take more risks. It feels as though they have so much potential yet something is holding them back and I hope they break down those boundaries and produce something that really blows you away and reignites the hope that one day our scene will be returned to the glory that it once revelled in.

You can check out Provider here and get your hands on their album here.