Melodic hardcore as a genre has been floundering as of late. Much like the progressive trend of hardcore punk in the 2000s, after a while new music seems to dry up. What remains is the old guard holding the bastion, and hardly any young punks willing to take up arms (well, instruments) to create new music. Enter Virtues, a melodic hardcore band from Singapore, who in their first full release, “Comfort in My Own Arms,” have provided the stop gap needed in the genre as a whole.

Stop gap, or not, Virtues is not a utility band, not in the least. They hit all the notes necessary to create a very comfy melodic hardcore experience. In a genre that has been lost to bands that don’t completely understand what it takes to be melodic hardcore, and the oversaturation of pop music disguised as something else, Virtues stands apart from the crowd.

Discovering music from this genre is trying to say the least. What used to be a fantastic source of melodic hardcore music, the YouTube channel Dreambound, has become a shadow of its former self. What used to be a channel where every upload was just as cathartic as the last, became nothing more than a repository for music of all genres. With most songs being uploaded these days being far outside the melodic hardcore genre. When they randomly uploaded the scrappy band from Singapore, a wave of nostalgia was injected right into the veins. Virtues, is what the channel needed to bring it back to its roots.

Virtues, not to be confused with the metalcore band from Australia, is melodic hardcore in the purest sense of the word. But Virtues did not start with a melodic hardcore vibe. Their 2018 release, “Keep What’s Left of Yourself” feels more like an old Killing the Dream/Sinking Ships fever dream. It felt odd to listen to such a classic sounding EP these days, but it is a fantastic album calling back to the old days. However, while their first EP was more of a traditional hardcore outing, their most recent 2021 release, is melodic hardcore through and through.

Listening to “Comfort in My Own Arms,” you get a sense that all the musicians involved really understand what it takes to make a good melodic hardcore album, as if they went to school for it. They studied the genre and produced a true to form album. Starting with the first song, “Comfort,” which contains a bit of a spoken word section and a voice sample. The painful screams behind the voice clip are quintessential melodic hardcore.

After the fantastic introduction track, the album goes into “Smoke and Mirrors,” assaulting the ears with melodic guitars, and dissonant chords. Continuing the trend of spoken word, “Smoke and Mirrors” really hearkens itself back to the times of melodic hardcore in its golden age. The greatest thing about this track is that it’s only the second track of eight. The rest of the album doesn’t disappoint.

The next track, “If Only I Could Leave,” has some of the best melodic hardcore tropes. Moments of complete despair, inundated with fantastic guitar work. The vocals really are put on display here, complimenting the building soundscape. The way the guitar work really adds to the tension of the song makes for a compelling and thoughtful song, so much so, that it’s heart-wrenching.

The track in the middle of the album, “Fragments,” features a member of another great melodic hardcore band, Bloom. The song is the standard fair of a slower melodic hardcore songs. Focusing more on spoken word, and cleaning singing, culminating in a cacophony of intense emotion.

The remaining four songs on the album are more of the same, but that’s not to say they are bad songs. Not at all, this album as a whole feels like finding water in the desert. One of the most unique songs on the album, “Departure,” is reminiscent of what made melodic hardcore unique, incorporating elements from other genres into the music and providing much needed diversity in the album. Much like “Fragments” provides a brief respite in the middle of the album, “Departure” breaks up the monotony of the album. Not every song has to be an intense affair of pure melodic hardcore goodness, and this song proves just that. It ends with one of the most beautiful composition vocals, both clean and harsh. It has to be heard to be fully appreciated.

“Comfort in my Own Arms” is just what the genre needed. New life. While there have been other releases over the past couple of years that scratch that itch, nothing did it quite as well as Virtues did in this release. And of all places, this band is from Singapore. Not many music makes its way around the world from there, let alone ones from an extremely niche genre. This album is a treat to the ears that is worth listening to.

You can find their music (and other links) on their Bandcamp.