Bastions - Bedfellows Part 2: The Forgotten Daughter

There seems to be a penchant at the moment amongst hardcore bands for releasing ‘concept’ records. Maybe Judge did a split 7-inch with Rush that we don’t know about, but the likes of Defeater and War Generation have dragged the notion of overarching narrative kicking and screaming into punk. And so it is that Bastions have joined the club with ‘Bedfellows’, two thematically linked EPs, the second of which, ‘The Forgotten Daughter’ we are presented with here.

Indeed, whether you view the concept of concepts as having profound artistic merit or being a bit of a try-hard red herring, what is undeniable is the rip-snorting quality that the Welsh quartet offer up on this 12-inch. The old line about Bastions previously was always that they’ve played every basement up and down the country and have a work ethic and integrity to be admired. But to damn them with such faint praise would be to miss the point a little. It’s not just graft on show, there’s plenty of craft too. Opener ‘Empty Vessel’ is a dank, close affair, fizzing with nervous energy and waves of near hysteria. It listens like walking into a half lit cellar feels.


From there on the band throw everything and the kitchen sink at you. The hurricane violence of ‘Foreign Bodies’ is among their most intense work to date (and that’s saying something) while closer ‘Murmuring’ is all jangling discontent and barely funnelled bile. The whole thing is held together by the fact that Bastions are growing increasingly skilled at knowing when to put their foot on the accelerator and when to drag things out into agonising peaks. These are five very, very well rounded tracks of high-wire tight, modern post-hardcore. 


The reality is that if this band were American or had the right pair of jeans on, everyone would be slathering themselves in their own erotic juices and declaring Bastions the best thing since sliced bread by now. As it is ‘The Forgotten Daughter’ and indeed ‘Bedfellows’ as a whole will continue to sate their grassroots fan base and cement their position as one of the most exciting heavy bands in the UK. If you are reading this and loved the last Defeater album, get all hot under the collar for More Than Life or even rated Modern Life Is War’s recent return, then you could do a lot, lot worse than getting stuck into this delicious slab of wax.