Thus far, 2025 has been the year of a lot of bands dropping new music, with debut albums from Bleed and Split Chain, a second album from Fleshwater, and Deftones dropping their tenth album after five years of speculation. With all these huge drops, it is no small feat for the smaller, up-and-coming bands to get some traction in a scene that's continuing to grow every year. That said, when the Bay Area's own Present announced a new EP for this fall, this was hands down my most anticipated release of music for the year.
Present hails from the bay area of California, a five piece shoegaze alternative group consisting of Alex Hunter as lead singer, songwriter and guitarist, with Steve Radford on bass, Daniel Hospitalier on drums, and with Craig Tally and Jordan Beaston on guitars. Over the past few years, the group has been slowly but surely building their catalog of music to Much fan praise through simple word of mouth and a relentless work ethic. Last year the band dropped their debut album Silver Lining and supported it with their very first tour, opening for Softcult across the United States. Since first seeing Present last summer, I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but spending the last year and a half telling people about how this band Is gonna be up there with the current name stays of the shoegaze scene. Silver Lining had me in such a choke hold last year that it was in the top 3 of my Apple Music most replayed of 2024, and with the recent release of this EP, 2025 is looking like an unapologetic repeat.
I had the pleasure of getting in touch with Alex Hunter herself, and she shared with me the story behind each of the five songs on the EP, detailing what each one means to her, and how this EP tells the story of ones reflection of loss, grief, being given pain and causing pain, and the over all duality of what it means to be human.
Letters to the Lost opens with ”Naive“, and is hands the heaviest track on the EP. after a guiar feedback intro, the opening riff hits like a truck. It features shades of ”Hemorrage“ by Fuel, with the verse coming into a melodic cooldown that builds up again to the riff-heavy choruses. Lyrically, the track tells the story of what it means to be young and in love, as Hunter explained the deeper meaning:
“'Naive' touches on the intensity of being in a relationship with a closeted person whom you deeply love. It’s about juggling your own desires to be unabashedly yourself with.. well, what is ultimately your partner’s comfort and safety. This song is about growing apart and looking back at this young relationship with a lot of sadness. It’s a yearning to apologize to her for my selfishness of pushing her towards a public relationship, and in a way trying to explain the mindset driving my naivete.”
Music video filmed by Tony Holman and edited by Alex Hunter
The next track is “Deflection“, which is a dynamic slow-down considering it’s sandwiched between the EPs heaviest tracks. It comes in with a nice drum intro, highlighting the production quality on this EP, which is a huge improvement from Silver Lining. This song gives me early Radiohead vibes, with ”High and Dry” bring the first thing that pops in my head when the chorus hits.
Hunter's vocals are really on display on this track, bringing a powerful ambience about a story of dissolving friendships, told by Hunter herself:
“Deflection tackles the complexities and realities of a friendship I no longer have. It’s me owning up to disappearing instead of addressing conflict head on. It touches on my avoidance, how I knowingly could not meet this person’s standards of friendship. They became exhausted from trying to mold me into something I wasn’t, and I felt strongly that it was an uncomfortable experience for both of us. But I didn’t know how to say that.. I was going through a lot of difficult things and didn’t prioritize the care this friendship needed. We try to not hurt people with our honesty, but in turn hurt people even more with the lack of it."
The energy gets picked back up with the first released single “Leech," whose musical heaviness brings with it a much deeper meaning:
“Leech is about being in a relationship with a man who manipulates people into believing he is the victim in every situation. He did awful things that drained me of body, mind, and soul. For a long time, I blamed myself for those things happening.. I often held too much compassion for him and found an excuse for his every action. It took time being out of the relationship and a lot of therapy for me to unravel how damaging it was. We were no longer in contact by the time it had been diagnosed as an abusive relationship, so I never got to speak up for myself. This song is my angry, uncomfortable cry - mourning the loss of my innocence while simultaneously reclaiming the power he had over me.”
The next track, and my personal favorite from the EP, is “Balcony“. The intro comes in with a somber guitar track, again reminding me of early Fuel, more specifically “Bad Day." Even though it's a much slower track, it holds a heavy grunge sound throughout, with Hunter once again showing off her wide vocal range during the ending bridge. After learning the story behind the lyrics, the song holds an even more special place to me personally, as someone who struggles with their mental health:
“'Balcony' is about a friend who took her own life. She was a friend of a friend, but we had begun to form a connection of our own. She had started lightly insinuating to me that she wasn’t doing well. I’d listen and relate, but also try to remind her of the positive. I would try different methods of helping. She’d often bounce back to humor in our conversations, something that we both did quite often - but I later learned it was her avoidance. One day she went missing and.. That was it.
This song is a recollection of what happened, while simultaneously trying to understand what she was feeling, and touching upon the regret I carry to this day. It’s something I’m unwinding in therapy, this feeling of guilt.. like I could have been the one to save her if I had said the right things, or reached out that specific day. She was truly a magic person who cared for everyone to her core.. I’ve experienced loss throughout my life, but nothing as brutal as hers. In the song I recite the poem ‘Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep’ by Mary Elizabeth Frye. It’s one that I have read a lot over the years. It’s comforting to believe that she’s somewhere among the earth, somehow present in all beautiful things."
Last but certainly not least comes the very somber and very melodic “Widow”. this close out track is a powerful one, with an ambient intro that creeps in with Hunter's vocal stylings right behind it. Ultimately, it builds to a balanced, heavy explosion in the verses and chorus. I get reminded of Far, mostly their last album At Night We Live, as the heavy melodies hold true in both bands that are generations apart.
The story behind “Widow’’ is one that again holds dear to my heart, as grief is one thing that affects us all in a massive spectrum:
"Widow is a letter to my grandfather who recently passed away. Everything happened so suddenly - my grandmother found him at home, and two weeks later I was moved into the house to help take care of her. It’s been an emotional journey, mourning him while being there for her and taking care of the house. I live amongst his things, I live where he died.. I live in his wake. I wrote this song when I was feeling overwhelmed with grief and responsibility, quietly wishing I was a kid again. Selfishly wishing he was here to comfort her and take care of us. Just wishing he never left.”
Video shot and edited by Alex Hunter.
I think the biggest reason I keep comparing to bands like Fuel and Far is that this EP brings me back to that feeling I had as a kid: experiencing these heavy but melodic bands and being captivated by their raw and emotional sound. Present is one such band of this generation, with the only difference being that their staying power and longevity has the potential to be three times as significant.
Letters to the Lost is out now.
