REVIEW: The Empty Page’s latest release, ‘Death On Our Side’
‘Death On Our Side’ is the latest release from anxious alt-punk band, The Empty Page, just in time to soundtrack the last dregs of the month with a good dose of sombre shoegaze to compliment those January blues before we FINALLY welcome in February.
The Empty Page are no strangers to singing about often dark and heavy topics; who can blame a band that originates from the dark, gloomy city of Manchester, eh? Channelling that iconic ‘Manc miserabilia’ made famous by The Smiths and Joy Division, the band’s sound also has nods to Sonic Youth and Pixies, with ‘Death On Our Side’ sonically showcasing the pure Mancunian grittiness of their hometown whilst discussing feelings of hopelessness.
The track follows previous release ‘When We Gonna Run?’ from November 2025, and the band’s second album, Imploding, from May 2024, as this new single continues to propel from their back-catalogue of ‘anxious, energetic songs for our times’. The Empty Page have a knack for storytelling in a way that resonates with listeners in the most emotional and relatable way, with their previous releases focussing on topics such as bed rot, victim blaming, and the end of the fucking world. ‘Death On Our Side’ effortlessly marries punk and shoegaze to share a disheartening realisation of life in modern Britain, and is ultimately a song about being too broke to save up for a pension, even though you never stop working; a disheartening position that many people can relate to right now.
Giz’ guitar-intro swiftly breaks into a familiar shoe-gazey rhythm assisted by Steve’s steady drums and Kel’s haunting vocals, as the track’s post-punk and 80s/90s indie rock tendencies carry the poignant lyrics such as “small lives are plundered, and underfunded” and “the future’s overrated”. Utilizing the dark yet common idea of a pension plan being to die before you need one, ‘Death On Our Side’ helps us cling to whatever hope we can muster during our lives when everything appears to be “all a big ugly lie”. The idea that “we work for them, and then we die” is both depressing yet motivating in that it reminds us to appreciate the little moments in life which exist within the mundane before it’s too late, reinforcing the idea that there’s always more to life than ‘work’, especially if we might never be able to afford to retire, The Empty Page have really got us questioning – what is the point?
‘Death On Our Side’ is released at a time when many of us are struggling and the future looks bleak in more aspects than one. It’s a stark, honest, and raw expression from the heart which, on the surface, is not trying to motivate or inspire. It’s simply a snapshot that captures a current moment where life, the future, and the world are feeling rather heavy right now; all the while subtly reminding us that there are always pockets of hope even in the darkest of times – “the end is nigh, let’s get high”.
Catch The Empty Page on one of their upcoming shows:
Sat 7th March Brighton - Prince Albert - supporting Shallow Honey
Sat 14th March Manchester - Louder Than War Live Fest - Manchester Academy
Weds 25th March – London - Blue Posts, Soho - Kick Out The Jams
Sat/Sun 2nd-3rd May - Shropshire - Loopfest
Words: Megan Wood
