What makes a record land inside you? What makes an EP feel like a necessary chapter rather than
filler? For me it is storytelling — heart, desire, presence. Tease more and you risk fatiguing the
listener; withhold too much and you starve them. ADDENDUM finds the balance. It feels like a final,
deliberate bite from a long conversation: familiar to the faithful, inviting to the new.
FREE TO DIE:
opens with a fragile acoustic breath and a voice that stills you. Even as electric textures and drums
arrive, that calm vocal holds like a hand on your chest. The rhythm and beat are not merely
accompaniment; they cradle the feeling, light and insistent. Every instrument seems tuned to the
same pulse, so the song never fractures — it mesmerises. Newcomers are welcomed; longtime
listeners feel the weight of history in the hush.
TRIALS:
Trading the hush for a harder push. A simple groove becomes a propulsion you cannot ignore. Synth
hits land like small shocks, spaced so they sting when they arrive. The song keeps you in a state of
controlled surrender, the kind that makes you want to press play again the instant it ends. Nothing is
wasted; every pulse is placed to make you crave the next one.
BE QUIET AND DRIVE (FAR AWAY):
Leaning into synth momentum and takes control. The rhythm turns up and the bass hits with a force
that makes your body move before your mind catches up. The synths weave organic motion into the
track so movement feels inevitable. Even the drops and louder moments return you to a calm that
feels ecstatic rather than exhausted. The vocals act as a guide, brief rests before you are pulled
onward.
MEAN:
A Kinetic yet intimate balance. It splits your limbs into separate urges and makes your chest keep
time. The vocals become an anchor in a rising tide of sound; when they cut through, everything else
hushes to listen. The song ends feeling like a beginning, the voice lingering in the silence as if calling
you back.
RUIN:
Unity made audible. The opening seconds hang just long enough to align you with the band’s
wavelength. There is no sudden explosion here, only a steady pulsation that puts your body two
steps ahead of your thoughts. You dissolve into the music and emerge changed. Calm wraps around
you and leaves you energised, part of something larger than yourself.
ALONE:
Beginning with an almost classical sensation, then the synth breaks in and pulls you under. The line
between voice and instrument blurs until identity itself feels negotiable. Uncertainty and desire
thread the whole track; parts melt into one another and the result is cathartic. It stands alone as an
experimental power piece that invites deeper dives.
THE DRAIN:
closing the EP with weight. This is the climax of the Rat Wars era, a culmination of the journey.
Overlaid vocals, sudden soft notes, and heavy strikes combine into an ending that satisfies while
making you ache for more. The vocal shifts sell the finality and the tension; the power that drew you
in now fights with you in subtle, repayable ways. Two sides of the same coin reveal themselves in
the last moments.
Conclusion:
I did not know what to expect, and ADDENDUM surprised me by leaving me wanting more. It is the
right length for the story it tells. HEALTH know who they are and are unafraid to experiment while
remaining recognisable. New listeners will find an accessible entry point; veterans will feel like
they’ve met an old friend. This closing chapter is a rare, balanced miracle. I cannot wait to hear these
songs live and see how the speakers translate that euphoria into a room.
PS If you have played Death Stranding, this EP will feel at home.
Rating: 9/10
