Welsh rockers Holding Absence explore life, love and the responsibility of artists on superb second album. Words: James Hickie As we know, some bands buckle under the pressure posed by the second album. Is this where they’ll truly emerge? Will they build upon the foundations established by their debut, or tumble and fall under an expectation entirely of their own making? Holding Absence are not one of those bands, thankfully, with everything about The Greatest Mistake Of My Life screaming confidence, from its cinematic scope and aesthetic to its affirming tunes. It’s also an illustration that while originality is important, it’s not the be all and end all. There’s nothing wrong with delivering something tried and tested if it’s done well, with the requisite affection for what’s come before and boatloads of your own passion. Given vocalist Lucas Woodland’s trumpeting of My Chemical Romance in his band’s March K! Cover Story, Holding Absence are more than aware they’re part of a tradition, representing the next generation of the scene, the emo flag in one hand and their beating hearts in the other. And like their heroes, they spare us none of the drama we all experience, instead embracing the indulgence of their platform to render it on the largest, most unignorable scale.