‘You think that a normal life would kill you.  You think that stillness is death, or that quiet is giving up…It used to scare me, but it doesn’t anymore’ (Esau)

Richmond’s Ostraca return with their fifth 12-inch and follow-up to 2023’s searing Disaster.  Lyrically, this is a more personally reflective, less politically allusive entry into the band’s canon.  Reflecting as it does on themes of regret, at the opportunities not pursued, and the realisation that giving yourself the time and space to reflect is not, in fact, some sort of defeat.

This more contemplative dynamic is imbued throughout the four tracks.  The trio’s fundamental sound remains firmly resolute – eruptions of crushing velocity joust with intricately crafted instrumental passages, while feral howls and guttural growls duel for vocal supremacy.  Yet, it is laced with a notably more pronounced sense of restrained, melancholic introspection.

Ostraca’s ability to compellingly fuse these elements remains admirably deft.  It is not simply a question of juxta posing them but rather intertwining them in a manner that feels entirely organic.  Personal highlights are the seething oscillations of Compromise and the quivering melodicism of So Do I.