Australian post-hardcore rockers
Hands Like Houses ended 2011 by signing to American label Rise, where they expand their technical guitar-meets-electronics sound and emotive lyricism into full-length debut
Ground Dweller. The album was recorded in 2010 and 2011 with
Cameron Mizell (
Woe Is Me,
Sleeping with Sirens,
Oceana) and teased in 2011 with the singles "This Ain't No Place for Animals" -- one of the record's heavier songs, addressing the sometimes broken nature of human interaction -- and "Lion Skin" -- a grand composition about letting one's dreams wander -- which made a splash online. Third single "Antarctica," an inspirational piece about staying grounded while reaching for one's dreams, was released on Rise's YouTube channel in early 2012, showing the band experimenting with instruments like the vibraphone, and garnering almost 200,000 views in its first month. ~ Chrysta Cherie