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With the days – and sounds – of their previous project Breather Resist now firmly behind them, Young Widows return and follow up 2008’s Old Wounds with a unique sound that blends a sack of genres from prog to punk.

In And Out Of Youth And Lightness is a condensed collection of long drawn-out sounds so dense that you can practically feel them ooze through your ears.

The layered, melodic opening track Young Rivers creates a sinister mood complete with recurrent ringing and distorted chanting. First single Future Heart retains the layering of sounds but ups the tempo, swiftly shifting to frantic QOTSA-style stoner rock. Electronic distortion, instrument-heavy build ups and ominous, repetitive riffs dominate for the duration of this intricate album.

Possible comparisons are plentiful, from Joy Division to Nirvana, but overall the Widows sound is wholly individual: heavy and hypnotic, consistently minor and often eerily unsettling.

Hannah May Kilroy has been writing about music professionally for over a decade, covering everything from extreme metal to country. She was deputy editor at Prog magazine for over five years, and previously worked on the editorial teams at Terrorizer and Kerrang!. She currently works as the production editor for The Art Newspaper, and also writes for the Guardian, Classic Rock and Metal Hammer.