Dan Hillier
The debut EP from the London group, No End see’s Higher Walls drawing upon the linage of hardcore in order to address the sociopolitical nightmares of today with the level of urgent rage required to do so. Think the stomp of Terror, the savagery of Nails and bloodshot-eyed drive synonymous with our current national hardcore scene all implemented together and delivered via a sledgehammer to the walls that keep us penned in mentally and culturally. There’s no grace to be had here, just pure rage that’s articulated with both musical chemistry and phlegm-flying fury in their rallying against a system that attempts to justify war, genocide and widening cultural divides.
With that in mind, and with No End out now, we got in touch with Higher Walls to break down the EP, track by track.
Related: Higher Walls – No End | EP Review
‘Musically, the songs for No End have existed in some capacity for years. We’ve tinkered with them and got them to the finished state they are now in but lyrically, we wanted all subject matter to be fresh. There is a cohesion in theme amongst the tracks on the EP, almost explicitly so, but with everything that’s happening globally it was impossible to ignore.’
‘The opener to our EP, History’s Eyes is about how we move forward despite bearing the burden of generational and global trauma. We have the power to make positive change by addressing what’s current structures, pulling up from the roots and starting again. We are the successors to pain and destruction wrought on us. We have witnessed, we have weathered, and we are still not hopeless.’
‘Cloak & Dagger speaks to the reality of the war machine and how the people instilled to protect us use their influence to profit from the donations of warmongering elites.’
‘We have seen a global rise in far-right thinking. Racism, Fascism and ignorant thinking are gaining traction through social echo chambers, tailored algorithms, and political leaders who aim to gain from this mistrust and hatred. We need to stomp this out, call it out immediately and show up in numbers when it matters. Thorns was written in response to the far-right clashes in the UK in 2024. It’s perhaps our most blunt and aggressive track on the EP.’
‘We are constantly fed dire news and media, and with every story we are watching what feels like our world falling apart. This song is about getting bogged down in the mud of hopelessness. It’s a heavy weight to bare that comes and goes. Like crossing paths with a familiar foe. Mental health awareness is extremely important and something that always seems like an afterthought.’
‘Collateral Damage was explicitly written about the genocide in Gaza. We have seen injustices beyond imagination. Cruelty not even found in your worst nightmares. We have seen numerous people immolate in protest only to be silenced and washed away in the stream of atrocities. Tens of thousands of human beings lost and considered nothing more than collateral damage. What makes it so distressing is how easy it is for them to do and get away with it. We are privileged geographically.’
‘The second single from our EP No End. So Much, For So Long, For So Little speaks of the widening class divide in the UK and the brazen incentive for Governments, the global elite and big business to prioritize profits over people. This is of course nothing new, but there is an obvious arrogance to this now. Government contracts being given to friends, dismantling administrative departments to further individual agendas and perpetuating endless war to maintain cordial global relations. We must call out injustices and not give in to hate.’
‘This is where we stand, but we stand united.’