I have always appreciated artists who challenging convention and defy expectations along the way—it’s one of the reasons I listen to music. DITZ, a Brighton-based noise rock and post-hardcore band, is one of those artists. Since forming in the mid-2010s, they have built a reputation for their abrasive sound, chaotic live shows, and unfiltered intensity.
With Never Exhale, their third album in four years, the band distills their sound into a striking, urgent form, blending punishing walls of sound with moments of eerie restraint. Recorded in London, the album’s restless nature explores themes of alienation, frustration, and self-reflection, with lead vocalist and guitarist Cal Francis delivering lyrics that blur the line between personal confession and universal angst.
There’s something cathartic about listening to Never Exhale. It forces a release of something I didn’t even realize needed to be let go. In doing so, I found myself drawn to the album not only for challenging convention but for reshaping my expectations of the kind of album that can take me to a place I didn’t even know I needed to be.
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