The world is undoubtedly becoming a smaller place, thanks in no small part to our age of rapid communication, yet the southern hemisphere still seems slightly detached from the rest of the world. It is a disconnect that has birthed an array of original bands and a prime example are Canberra’s Hands Like Houses. Without the overkill of external influences they’ve fused post-hardcore and alternative rock, and with a heavy emphasis on the experimental have created a sound all their very own. Latest album A T M O S P H E R I C S sends their musical explorations into the stratosphere and in doing so have produced an album that has set the bar extremely high for all that follow.

It has been almost seven years since Hands Like Houses’ last long player (although we’ve had several EP’s in between) and they certainly make up for lost time with the double album A T M O S P H E R I C S. It’s a sixteen track beast of an album made up of four parts (the first three of which were released as EP’s); Tropo, Strato, Meso and Thermo. Each part is a distinct section that allows to reshape and reinvent themselves, yet with new vocalist Josh Raven leading the charge the album is threaded into a cohesive whole. It is hard to believe that the band are hurtling towards their twentieth anniversary, but opening shot ‘Heaven’ shows that they’ve lost none of their urgency. It’s a dynamic number that fractures sound in every direction and acts as a portent for the rest of the record. It’s a format which proves itself perfect for a band such as Hands Like Houses; they’ve never been comfortable within rigid genre divisions and A T M O S P H E R I C S allows the group to blur the lines between say, metal and pop, and create an album that is constantly shapeshifting like some strange alien life-force. It means that the heavy ‘Paradise’ can sit next to the ethereal ‘24 Hours’ effortlessly. It also creates an engaging affair; even inside individual songs Hands Like Houses are shifting sand and, like wheels within wheels, are in eternal motion. This creates an engrossing listen, and despite the lengthy running time, ensures that things never become staid.

With the core of Hands Like Houses being together since their inception (2008), the band display an obvious chemistry and the time changes that characterise the likes of ‘The Devil Of Decisions’ are handled with consummate ease. Therefore, it’s always a risky business when someone new steps into the fray, yet Josh Raven hasn’t upset the apple cart at all. In fact, he’s reignited those chemicals and got things fizzing and bubbling nicely and as such songs like Obey (featuring a guest spot from Kellin Quinn) sparkle the way good songs should.

An album that reaches heady heights, A T M O S P H E R I C S puts Hands Like Houses right back on the radar.

• A T M O S P H E R I C S is released via Civilians Records on 14th February 2025.

Track List:

Tropo
1. Heaven
2. Better Before
3. bloodrush
4. Paradise

Strato
5. 24 Hours
6. Hollow
7. Panic
8. Wildfire

Meso
9. The Devil of Decisions
10. Hurts Like Hell
11. Obey
12. Chemicals  

Thermo
13. Fatally Fractured
14.ICU
15. Parasite
16. The End