Held – Grey
Release Date: 15th May 2026
Label: MNRK Records
Held is a supertrio made up of New York post-hardcore luminaries Douglas Robinson and Sal Mignano of The Sleeping, alongside Coheed and Cambria drummer Josh Eppard. Their debut album, Grey, brings with it more than two decades of experience that surpass expectations of debut releases and go beyond being a mere side project.
The album title, Grey, has two interpretations. First, it reflects the mature approach of a genre that has come of age and reached a senior status. Secondly, the lyrics throughout acknowledge the many emotional shades of grey that define the human experience.
Opener, ‘Defending the Earth’, signals to the listener that the songwriting is as emotionally heavy as it is musically powerful. Robinson reacts to the world he is confronted with over a pulsing guitar riff, calling out, “I’ve grown tired of these feelings. Where I end, where I begin.” Raw emotion is channelled through Robinson’s ability to craft soaring choruses from quieter moments, drawing comparisons to Chino Moreno.
As the album title suggests, the lyrics are neither black nor white, but highly personal to both Robinson and the listener. ‘Waves of Fire’ and ‘I and I Against You’ exemplify Robinson’s poetic and subjective introspection.
The album is dripping with post-hardcore hallmarks, shifting dynamics, emotional delivery, and layered instrumentation, which furnish the record with an anthemic quality that deepens appreciation of both the quieter passages and the eventual release of tension. On ‘Constant Tension’, one of the catchiest songs on the album, restrained verses build to a crescendo of thick guitars and energetic drumming, where Robinson booms, “That’s why I’m leaving my heart attack. When I let you down against my will.”
Collaborations inject variety throughout the album. On ‘New You Anthem’, My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero complements Robinson’s characteristic raw delivery by taking on vocal duties, focusing on the therapeutic power of love in the face of adversity. ‘Knifepoint’ offers a grittier tonal shift, pairing punk-infused riffs with guest vocals from High Vis frontman Graham Sayle, whose proletarian everyman perspective stands in stark contrast to Robinson’s more ethereal delivery.
The two closing songs are a well-earned departure from the full-throated sound that precedes them. ‘Broken Spacesuit’ has the longest running time on the album and is given room to breathe, allowing Robinson’s mournful vocals and discordant guitar work, supported by controlled drumming, to build towards a forceful chorus reflecting on regret and atonement. ‘Emptiness’ concludes the album with its cleanest guitar tones and another dramatic build into a thick wall of sound accompanied by thundering screams. These quieter moments could have appeared earlier in the tracklist to provide greater variety, but they ultimately serve as an effective conclusion to the album’s emotional journey and were clearly positioned intentionally.
At times, the album feels constrained by the post-hardcore formula, although its collaborations and quieter moments offer some relief.. The band moves between heavier and softer directions, particularly the infusion of traditional punk on ‘Knifepoint’ and the moodier songs that close the record. It is an emotionally raw experience whose lack of levity can become exhausting and risks feeling thematically narrow. Nevertheless, Grey is a strong debut, and there is ample room for the band to experiment on future releases as they continue to mature and push against the boundaries of the post-hardcore genre.
Words by Richard Lyndon Williams