REVIEW: Haggard Cat - The Pain That Orbits Life
- Julia Stark
- May 4
- 3 min read
HAGGARD CAT are synonymous with the post-hardcore scene, already establishing their artistry in previous project HECK and their prowess and nerve by powering through the 2020 lockdown to create bone-shaking rhythms in their album Common Sense Holiday and follow up EP Cheer Up. They’re back to break down your door and crush the status quo with their charged up album The Pain That Orbits Life, via their new label Church Road Records, a blistering 10-track record that pushes the expectations and carries the bat-shit frenetic sound HAGGARD CAT are renowned for.
Teaming up with double Grammy-winner Adrian Bushby, The Pain That Orbits Life is classic HAGGARD CAT but a bit fuller, a lot wilder, and clearly inspired by progressive sounds. The duo, vocalist/guitarist Matt Reynolds and drummer/backing vocalist Tom Marsh, have pushed their skills and production out of their box by experimenting with more electronic sound effects that elevate the album, while still keeping the brazen grittiness fans love bodyslamming to, a reputation the band have garnered from their live performances previously supporting ENTER SHIKARI and PLANET OF ZEUS, and more notably kicking off 2000 Trees Festival 2025 where it was difficult to decide who was having more fun, them or the audience.
It would be wrong to say this is the duo at their peak as there’s still space for them to level up, and while it’s their signature sound at its core their experimental features are taking them in a different direction than fans may have expected, but it’s a road we’re happy to travel down to see them at their most proficient and exhilarating - at least, so far. Describing The Pain That Orbits Life as a “journey of self reflection and personal growth”, the band have approached this from a personal and evolved viewpoint to create the sound they’ve been chasing since they started in 2017 and have caught in a snare.
From the first rapid-fire synth sounds that announce the album and serpentine across headphones and speakers, first released single I HATE IT HERE combines with rhythmic cymbals, snare rolls and fuzzed guitar as Reynolds calls out “I hate it here” repeatedly and increasing to a primal scream, the melody looping back into synth. SOAR focuses on Marsh’s crispy drum beats before guitar and high keys unleash together, the duo providing dual vocals that reach contrasting low and high octaves over an adapting rhythm, crashing into an anticipatory bridge that feels like marching into battle. HALCYON delivers more of the post-hardcore grit the band are known for, a buzzy riff and stank-face-inducing beat rivalling the heat of the cutting lyrics “was it worth it?”
AFTERLOVE wastes no time rushing forward and dragging you by the collar with it, blistering beats and rich backing vocals interspersed with a cinematic theremin-esque feature in the background, before the bridge descends into a threatening beat and riff and Reynolds’ vocals distorted to the point of sounding underwater before he screams “I hate being around you” with raw emotion. APNOEA starts with robotic sound effects as it loads the track into a slick riff and off-the-beat drum beat and snare rolls, a prolonged scream halfway through blending into an instrumental solo and pounding beat, almost 8 minutes of their most progressively experimental sound heard on the album so far. NAILS has more of the HAGGARD CAT chaotic charm with rapid-fire rhythms and lyrics that reach a feverish pitch as harmonies echo in the background like an audience to their own havoc.
Kicking off with a threatening drumbeat and low chords on SUPRESSOR, screams erupt and are joined by high guitar licks as the drums take their sweet time. It slows to an eerie tune and tempered beat as a quietened “I’m not getting better, I want to scream but your love is my suppressor”, a ferocious scream and crash of instruments bringing it back to the heat. LANDSCAPES starts melancholy in its sound before diving into blaring grunge-punk, a solo of lightning strumming undercutting Reynolds and Marsh’s vocals. Their second single off the album and by far the most heated track, WARPATH combines Marsh’s intense drumming with distorted guitar and ghostly synth over catchy lyrics that feel cathartic shouting along to.
Closing out the album at a whopping 10:40 minutes, ZION feels like a tribute to classic metal with a triumphant, chest-beating intro that blends into post-hardcore and alt-rock and shakes things up. A moment of poignant quiet is shattered with a resounding, thrashing riff and beat as layered vocals call behind Reynolds’ heart-rending shouts of “every hope I ever had has taken such a beating”.
It’s HAGGARD CAT at a level not heard yet, but there’s still room for the glass ceiling above them - it won’t be long until they smash that to smithereens.
Score: 7/10
The Pain That Orbits Life will be released on 8th May 2026 via Church Road Records.
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Ruena
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