REVIEW: Bodyweb - deadwired

BODYWEB have found their balance on upcoming EP deadwired, the band's sophomore release and first as a quintet. Each cog in the BODYWEB machine is perfectly placed and running smoothly throughout each of Deadwired’s 4 tracks. 

The soundscape of deadwired moves between the chaotic and the melody-driven, with the former embodied in opening track no faith. Its intro has a chaotic ambience with heavy hardstyle influences before serving choppy hardcore; stopping and starting perfectly in tempo switches punctuated with double bass fills and the electronic elements that keep the chaotic energy of nu-hardcore but move seamlessly in a way that screams quality. 

To follow it up is shadowboxing, and the introduction of the clean vocals integrated into the project in the bridges that add a quiet to the chaos of deadwired. Still on the theme of balance, these vocals add that balance in the vocals while the production side elevates the gnarly breakdowns with enough variation to give that ‘strangle me’ hardcore feel while taking time to appreciate the technicality in the hard-chords. Having the clean vocals leaves room to appreciate the hooks - case in point closing line “You’re killing yourself to live” which is built to a scream in the outro, and cut just before it gets old. 

The B side starts with sugarcoated, which switches gears into the lazy emo-hardcore sound reminiscent of LOUIS HARDY’s HIGHER POWER. Again focused on the cleaner vocal with more melody in the chord progression, with the intentional nature of the project coming through in the revisions to the progressions every four bars in a 16 phrase. To close out there is the most recent single deadwire, which utilises religious imagery in its lyrics (“Father are you waiting for me to forgive your sins”) and with its closing sample about faith. The spaciness of the track embodies its theme of fading relationships and cutting people off, with the line “I think it’s time to get off my knees” representing the passive way that many feel their backbone growing. 

Overall, there are no notes for deadwired. Each of the four tracks span the range that BODYWEB can cover as a group, with balanced and intentional being the best descriptors for the wide breadth of elements that the band utilise in this project. Lyrically, deadwired is honest and angst-filled without cliché, and the only thing left to say is it will be interesting to see how this soundscape would be explored within a full length album. Now it’s time to count down until the whole EP can be added into regular listening playlists. 

Score: 9/10

deadwired will be released on September 5th 2025 via Flatspot Records.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Bodyweb