Few bands can really embody having a particular sound while still remaining unexpected and rather ambiguous with what folks try to anticipate from them next. For Number Twelve, over the last 25 years of on and off again activity, have proven themselves to be one of those bands. Some call them mathcore, some call them sasscore, some call them post hardcore, and all of those people would be correct for different reasons. In their first album since 2019, TNTLLY feel like they’re trying to straddle everything from Put on Your Rosy Red Glasses to Wild Gods and ‘Eyes on the Fireworks’. The album has a pendulum-like feel to it, swinging back and forth from these high energy, chaotic numbers to more low energy, gaze-y songs over and over. This doesn’t really allow for the highs to ramp up and peak, the same way the low points don’t get to softly ease into it before progressing the album, leaving it feeling a little disjointed and hard to have major standouts.
As a long time fan of TNTLLY, the marriage of chaos and beauty that they purported in the early 2000’s was truly something to behold. There’s absolutely flavors of it in Howls of a Holographic Heart, especially in songs like the pandemonious opener ‘Trust Chaos’ and the Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear tinted ‘Fangs Out’. ‘Indeciso’ is probably the best “in between” style of song on the album and that alone makes it stand out (although it’s very catchy as well). The album’s closer, ‘Joy is a Weapon’ featuring Foxy Shazam’s Eric Nally, definitely ends the record on a bizarre yet high note that leaves you how you started; not knowing what to really expect next from the New Jersey quartet. While songs are chock-full of ear candy, things to catch your interest, and are well composed pieces, they fail to really produce something that strikes memorable and worthy of continual revisits. It’s still an enjoyable listen, showcasing incredible talent and a team of musicians strongly locked in step when it comes to the space they all share within the songs, but won’t really have the staying power compared to their earlier works.
Rating: 67/100
Notable Songs: Trust Chaos, Fangs Out, Indeciso
