{"id":17520,"date":"2016-02-01T11:03:26","date_gmt":"2016-02-01T11:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=17520"},"modified":"2016-02-01T11:03:26","modified_gmt":"2016-02-01T11:03:26","slug":"were-left-only-just-holding-on-with-review-of-forty-four-hours-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2016\/02\/were-left-only-just-holding-on-with-review-of-forty-four-hours-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"We’re Left ‘Only Just Holding On’ With Review of Forty Four Hours EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Forty<\/p>\n

Manchester trio Forty Four Hours present\u00a0fresh sounding alt-rock, which combined with the sweet sibling harmonies of twins Joe and Alex Holden, makes for a great new release in their EP ‘Only Just Holding On’.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

There’s something about bands featuring siblings: the harmonies of those who come from the same parents are naturally closer – tight even – than those from different families. It stands to reason therefore, that the harmonies of identical twins should be even closer still; and this is quite evident in that of Joe and Alex.<\/p>\n

A four track EP, ‘Only Just Holding On’, is fast\u00a0paced and rocky, held together by\u00a0the skilled drums\u00a0of Alix Foden. It’s hard to classify the music of Forty Four Hours in terms of genre. On the one hand it reminds us of the bands that filled the American Top 40 in the 70s and 80s: bands like REO Speedwagon, Chicago, and so on. On the other hand, it’s got a real “pub rock” feel about it. At the same time – there’s something undefinable. Loud and fast, eminently danceable, the music of Forty Four Hours is described best in their own words – “schizoid alternative pop rock”.<\/p>\n

We’ve heard (and enjoyed) lead track ‘Hold On’ a fair few times, so we weren’t too surprised to find that the other tracks, ‘Difficult’, ‘Pressure and Sleep’, and ‘The Time And The Place’ are all as expertly executed.<\/p>\n

Listening to ‘Difficult’, we’re reminded a lot of The Police – and of course then the penny drops why when we remember Joe’s Essential Weekly Playlist, in which he included not one, but two Police albums among those he couldn’t live without. It’s not a bad thing – the sound pays homage, without replicating exactly – but it’s clear that Messers Sumner, Summers and Copeland have had a strong influence on Joe’s vocal and writing style.<\/p>\n

Our favourite song on the EP would have to be ‘Pressure and Sleep’. There’s a really familiar feel to it – something reminds us of ‘A Thousand Miles’, by Vanessa Carlton – but it’s different still. The song could easily find its way onto a movie soundtrack, as could any of the others, because the production quality is top notch and professional.<\/p>\n

\u2018Only Just Holding On\u2019, the\u00a0brand new EP from Forty Four Hours, is available on iTunes<\/a>\u00a0or from the band\u2019s website<\/a>. You can find Forty Four Hours online on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Youtube<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Catch them live next at The Alma<\/a>, in Bolton, on 20 February. They’ll also be performing at O’Riley’s<\/a>, Hull, on 25 February.<\/p>\n

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