[engl] "Second 12"" EP from Bristol folk infused punk trio Toodles & The Hectic Pity! Toodles write snappy, percussive punk songs with rich vocal melodies. Their lyrics are crafted with subtle literary hints and playful turns of phrase, tucking existential themes into catchy refrains that cry for sing-a-long. Far from pretentious, their live show is full of contagious energy and enthusiasm. Lyrically, ‘Ghost, Guilt & Grandparents’ is an exploration of loneliness, anxiety, and the nature of familial relationships through time. Despite handling heavy themes, the five song EP is uplifting, carrying you through irresistible, pop riffs and into the beautiful, long build intro of Mountain Man, the EP’s closing track.

[engl] Debut album from Bristol, UK folk-punk/emo trio Toodles & The Hectic Pity! Affectionately known to their fans simply as Toodles, band members Callum, Max and Dom all met at secondary school in Gloucestershire and formed Toodles & the Hectic Pity in the political quagmire of the mid 2010s for one covers set at the original iteration of what would later become Inglefest, a small festival in the Cotswolds. The band subsequently released 3 EPs including The First EP (2016), Call In Sick (2017), and Ghosts, Guilt & Grandparents (2020), which was their first release through Specialist Subject. Hold Onto Happiness With Both Hands was recorded and produced by Phil Booth jr. at JT Soar, Nottingham in October 2022, with cello, percussion and backing vocals recorded at Woodbox, Bristol by Dom Mosley. The album was mixed by Robin Newman at Snug Recording Co., Nottingham and mastered by Ian Farmer and his cat, Onion, at The Metal Shop in Philadelphia, PA. Described by the band as “at least half-way a break-up album”, where previous EP Ghosts… was an exercise in introspection and mostly set within one room, the album is set in “the outside world”. While it might start out life as a break-up album, Hold Onto Happiness… quickly becomes a record about personal transfiguration. “It seems to me kind of pointless to write a merely depressing song or a merely depressing album,” says vocalist Callum McAllister, “so most of these songs and the album as a whole attempt to take a journey that ends in positive resolution and catharsis.”