On their new EP, The Devil On My Shoulder, Cambridge four-piece HRTLSS unravel four interconnected stories exploring self-reflection, destructive desire, self-deception and the uncomfortable weight of accountability. Blurring the boundaries between crushing modern metalcore, atmospheric alternative R&B and cinematic electronic textures, the band continue to carve out a sound that feels as emotionally intimate as it is sonically devastating.
The record opens with Pulling The Thread, a slow-burning meditation on the internal conflict of remaining trapped inside a toxic relationship while desperately craving escape. The recurring image of butterflies becomes an omen of inevitable change, symbolising rebirth that feels just out of reach.
The title track, The Devil On My Shoulder, shifts the focus inward. Rather than accepting responsibility, it examines the human tendency to blame circumstance, trauma and everyone else for the consequences of our own actions. Its central question, “Where were you when the walls caved in?” exposes the dangerous mindset of expecting others to carry burdens that ultimately belong to ourselves.
On Breathe Me In, temptation takes centre stage. Romanticising forbidden love, affairs and the intoxicating pull of relationships destined to end badly, the track balances soaring melodies with crushing heaviness as HRTLSS explore the seductive nature of wanting exactly what you know you shouldn’t. Beauty and destruction become inseparable.
Closing track To Dust serves as the emotional reckoning. A brutally honest reflection on self-destructive behaviour and the damage left behind, it strips away every excuse until nothing remains but self-awareness. Its devastating final sentiment, “Put your love, put your faith, put your hopes on me… and I will turn them to dust,” leaves the EP exactly where it needs to: confronting the consequences of your own actions.
Following their UK live debut alongside Mallory Knox, HRTLSS entered a new creative chapter with producer Nathan Smart and acclaimed mixer George Lever (Sleep Token, Loathe, Breakk.Away), while longtime collaborator Zak Pinchin (Holding Absence, PRESIDENT) expanded the band’s unmistakable visual world. The result is their most cohesive and ambitious body of work to date, with every song feeling like another page in the same story.
The Devil On My Shoulder is a statement of intent: a record about confronting the darkest parts of yourself, accepting responsibility for who you’ve become and discovering that real change only begins when the excuses finally end.
