REVIEW: LOVELOST - Picking Petals By Your Graveside

Newly 4-piece, prior duo act LOVELOST are a noisy alt-rock band spawned only a couple of years ago within the quiet depths of South West UK, but the traction and quality tied to the group would easily have one think they’ve been kicking for plenty longer. Earning support from numerous radios and magazines, plus spots in official playlists from major music platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL, the collective demonstrate thorough determination when it comes to spreading the word of LOVELOST, despite only having released a handful of songs up until now. This number is set to double with the release of their second EP, titled Picking Petals By Your Graveside, the gnarly follow up from the debut EP that collected a modest following, COLLAPSE, released in 2024. 

This record is visceral in sound and theming, with much of the lyrics being targeted towards a person with a relationship to the voice, from places of fury, desperation and anguish. The opening track All Love Is Lost is an ominous speech, a prelude that sets the scene intensely, leaving you on edge as you wait for the imminent eruption. Following this passage, the listener is swiftly thrusted into the high-octane energy that persists throughout the record, with thrashing drums, riffing guitars and aggressive, screamy vocals to ensure that you are well awake and immediately rocking your body, planting you deep into the atmosphere of the EP right off the bat. A Stomach With Silver Lining is a perfect track for those unfamiliar with the band’s relentlessly infectious vigour, being a grand mix of many of the elements you should expect to become familiar with later on, such as vocalist Tobias’ ability and enthusiasm with both raw screams and harmonic singing, one of the group’s key strengths. Not to mention, drummer Ed is eager to show off his own range of abilities here, dancing with half and double time and constantly adding a subtle kick or fill to keep the beat exciting.

The next two tracks scratch a certain itch, with Beneath The Surface taking a more subdued approach that demonstrates stellar production, while I Thought I Could Hide But You Caught Me, the lead single, offers an impassable banger. The former, an emotionally driven clash between Tobias’ fiery frustration and brazen, climactic instrumentals (with more tender contemplative moments in between), all complimenting each other perfectly. The latter being an outright screamer of a song, relentless energy that slams into the listener with delightful force, once again a commendable effort from all members, including newcomers Daniel on bass and Jon on guitar, that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser at upcoming shows.

Rolling into the second half of the EP, Hollow Eyes keeps up the momentum with some flavourful, glitchy production and smooth layered vocals, all around an enjoyable ride, but by this point the consistency of the band’s style, though badass, starts to feel a little repetitive, which carries onto the next track and second single released in anticipation for the EP, Don’t Set Yourself On Fire To Keep Someone Else Warm. In structure and sound, there’s not a remarkable contrast, so the majority of tracks offer a similar experience, if that’s not an issue for you, you’ll have a cracking time. The aforementioned track is anthemic, containing profound lyrics, the chorus expressing the title phrase, alongside “don’t burn yourself out just to save someone else”, it’s easy to appreciate the writing present when you aren’t violently swinging your head around.

The EP briefly returns to top quality rock with Sitting On The Sidelines, expelling unique, flavourful production, a fantastic chorus and more massive vocals from Tobias to indulge in. The closer, Nothing, wraps up the EP with some gnarly guitar riffs, but otherwise you know what to expect by now, large, raw and fierce on all fronts. LOVELOST have surely nailed down their signature sound and given us a feast with it, it perhaps just needs a little more flavour to truly blow the roof off, which we are sure is only a matter of time. 

Score: 8/10

Picking Petals By Your Graveside will be released on June 5th through Year Of The Rat Records

Words: Paul Cutts Photos: LOVELOST