Chosen by Monk

The Uber Rock Approved stampMy latest pick comes from Manchester alt-punks The Empty Page who once again prove that what they produce is far from that with their latest declaration that ‘Life Is A Wave’.

This new single sees the band veering off in a fresh, more electronic/dance-inflected direction, propelled by a New Order-esque rhythm, the song still swirls with the shimmering guitar and powerful, ethereal vocals that are their trademarks but retaining some of their deeply emotional and personal lyrical themes.

A few people I love have passed away over the past few years, often in really unexpected and seemingly unfair circumstances. I wrote ‘Life Is A Wave’ in response to one of those losses, explains singer Kel.

Its meaning is fairly straightforward, about how life is short, random, full of ups and downs and often ends when you least expect it to. It’s about holding those you love dear but trying to let the waves of life (and grief) flow over you because there is nothing you can do to change things. I played with the imagery of waves, lyrically, thinking about the waves on an ECG as well as the waves in the sea that can lift you aloft and crash you down.

  • The Empty Page release their second album, ‘Imploding’, on 10 May via their own Vociferous Records -‘