In Praise, you find absolution. Melodic hardcore purified, the Baltimore-bred band make music that resonates spiritual with the hardest emotions life pushes your way — a reminder to keep hanging on, as urged on their 2022 standout, All In A Dream. Coming Up For Air, a new extended play, arrives in much shorter distance than the proper end points between their 2016 debut and the aforementioned All In A Dream where less meticulous calculations of interior dialogues has the Baltimore-bred band — featuring members of Champion, Give, Have Heart, Mindset, Protestor, Slow Fire Pistol, and Turnstile in vocalist Andy Norton, guitarists Anthony Dye and Austin Stemper, bassist Chris Bavaria, and new drummer Blake Hall (who Daniel Fang helped transition the kit off to, as it comes as no surprise that he’s been busy elsewhere these days) — trying out a think-less-and-feel-more-and-let-go approach to everything. Three tracks burst in short order from collective collaboration, tilting Praise’s head into a different kind of groove that’s a result of the crew deep-diving into complacency, existential grief, and pondering next chapters not so much with hindsight wisdom, but as reactions to making the most of the present moment. Blush strokes of guitar and harmony heed to Norton’s urgent warnings to take a breath on the EP’s title track and opener, but it’s the sparking second and third winds of motivation on “Good Grief” and “Chasing Colors” that steer Praise into a different POV where whatever is being shouldered isn’t burdening their anthem. Pain coexists in communion with living, and they’re sounding more alive to realize it, brandishing grit and scrapes on their sonic edges along the way. “Maybe you’re right where you need to be,” Norton sings at one point. Instead of chasing dreams, Praise are paying attention to the moment here, and whatever comes next will surely be a chapter worth looking forward to…

Highlights: “Coming Up For Air”, “Good Grief”, “Chasing Colors”

Praise’s Coming Up For Air is available now on Revelation Records.

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