Review by Linda McDermott
‘Once Again’ released 3rd October
Hailing from Canada HandHeld has released a “new” single called “Once Again” to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary. The song was initially released as “Once” on their debut album “HomeBrew” in 1998.
Andy Dietrich from HandHeld says “In 1998 a few guys in high school started a punk rock band. One of the first songs they ever recorded was called “Once”, which became the first song off their debut record. It was a snapshot of youthful dreams and aspirations. Fast forward to the present day, and Handheld has revisited that iconic track with a retrospective twist that tugs at the heartstrings. The passage of time has added layers of depth and emotion, turning what was once a hopeful anthem into a poignant journey through the years”.
The production of the song has been turned up a notch but is fundamentally the same but with an extra verse or two to bring the lyrics up to the present day.
They sing about what every band can relate too which is what it’s like to be in a band, about being with friends, writing songs, laughing and joking and just wanting to play. It’s about the music, the buzz of being on stage, regardless of the size of the crowd and having the hope that one day they would ‘make it’ in the music industry.
The song itself is punchy from the start, leading you in with the build-up of the drums before going full throttle into the lyrics. The thing is, music has gone full circle, yet again and you can see this in the bands of today with the likes of Blink182, Sum41, Green Day and Good Charlotte having been influenced by the poppy punk sound of 25 years ago. Maybe HandHeld were a bit before their time, we will never know but regardless of age, once a punk rocker always a punk rocker and maybe now is the time for them to get a bit more recognition for their music.
Apart from the track ‘Once Again’ HandHeld has five albums, a number of singles and EP’s spanning their 25 years, they are available on all streaming platforms and are worth delving into.
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