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‘What These Hands Can’t Hold’ is the explosive first Suis La Lune track to appear from their forthcoming split release with Swedish screamo contemporaries Shirokuma. Over eight months in the making, the release presents forty minutes of both bands’ signature emotive ferocity, as demonstrated on Shirokuma’s ‘Leave Me’ and this latest Suis La Lune track.

“We all have a lot of things going on in our lives, with work, hobbies, other bands, etc.” Suis La Lune say of the extensive time-frame. “So it’s always a bit of a struggle to find the time to do something and it also takes its time for us to write new songs, practice them and record them. Especially since the band is split up between two cities in Sweden, Stockholm and Gothenburg. We started writing the songs for the split around a year ago, but some of the song ideas are a lot older.”

It’s also in part down to the band’s DIY ethos. “Since we want to record and mix everything ourselves it takes a lot of time for us in the studio,” they continue. “None of us are pros at what we’re doing, but we all know what we want and we like to find our own way to reach that sound. Also if it doesn’t turn out that great we only got ourselves to blame and we can try to make it better on the next release.”

Their collaboration with Shirokuma is based on both this ethos and mutual respect. Suis La Lune, having spent time on the road with the band, developed a considerable admiration for Shirokuma. “We all like Shirokuma as a band a lot and we really wanted to do a split together with some awesome musicians and songs writers that we really like,” they explain, “so we thought it was maybe time to do something together.”

The track itself is as hard-hitting as it is heartfelt. It tackles a serious theme with the emotive power it warrants. “It’s a song about self harm, and how to deal with the strain it can put on people in your surrounding and the people that wants to help that person,” Suis La Lune say of ‘What These Hands Can’t Hold’. “It’s about the guilt of seeing one person’s struggle through anxiety affecting other people.”

This theme of anxiety and guilt is represented in the rest of the release, presented in tracks by both Suis La Lune and Shirokuma. The songs twist and turn through a beautiful agony, ultimately offering a glimpse of hope in their solemn atmospheric tones.

Stream ‘What These Hands Can’t Hold’ by Suis La Lune exclusively below. ‘Leave Me’ by Shirokuma, unveiled last week, is also available to hear using the BandCamp player.

DK093: Suis La Lune / Shirokuma 12″ LP by Suis La Lune

The split between Suis La Lune and Shirokuma will be available via Dog Knights Productions in July 2016. It will be available on deluxe vinyl with die-cut covers, limited cassette and digitally.