SINGLE REVIEW: H_ngm_n – Nothing Personal
A bright groove sets the stage for a lower tempo than the band’s previous singles, but don’t be fooled — 'Nothing Personal' is anything but laid-back. There's a flickering tension beneath the surface, driven by bursts of jittery energy and a sense of emotional volatility that’s impossible to ignore. The Brighton-based duo strike a brilliant balance here between vulnerability and urgency, between pacing and release. Their command of dynamics is masterful — gently simmering one moment, soaring and cathartic the next.
There’s a warmth in the delivery that feels unmistakably personal. Vocals land with emotional clarity, aching in places, storming in others — raw and heartfelt, they carry the kind of lived-in honesty you can’t fake. It’s hard not to think of Dan Campbell from The Wonder Years in the way each line is wrung out for every ounce of feeling. Combine that with instrumentation that flickers between the introspective meandering of Joyce Manor and the math-tinged punch of early emo revival, and you’ve got something that’s not just technically tight, but emotionally rich too. When the chorus bursts open, it’s euphoric without losing that ache — a faster, hook-heavy moment that’s built to be shouted back in rooms that know heartbreak far too well.
‘Nothing Personal’ sits at a strange emotional crossroads — it’s about fractured trust and blurred lines, the chaos of trying to hold something together while protecting yourself from being hurt all over again. The exhaustion of emotional ambiguity runs deep here, and that tension is embedded in the song’s every shift and pulse. Drums pound and recede in perfect sync with the song’s mood swings, guitars bloom from soft refrains to towering riffs, and all of it is held together by a sincerity that never once feels staged. H_ngm_n don’t posture — they feel, and they translate that into unshakably anthemic moments that stay with you long after the last note fades.
They’ve always been good, but this one cements it — H_ngm_n aren’t just one of Brighton’s most exciting rising acts. They’re one of the UK’s most emotionally resonant underground bands full stop. And they’ve just dropped their best single yet.
