POLAR

Since its raw 2012 debut that fused unyielding ferocity with emotionally charged words, the English post-hardcore outfit Polar has undergone notable development. Over time the band has layered greater subtlety onto its core British hardcore approach, resulting in expressive and melody-driven releases such as Nova in 2019 and Five Arrows in 2024.

Formed in Guildford during 2009, Polar features vocalist Adam Woodford alongside guitarists Fabian Lomas and Max O'Neill, bassist Rick Keenan, and drummer Nick Jones. The quintet refined its aggressive, hardcore-punk-rooted approach through early performances in the local scene, eventually signing with the London alt-rock imprint A Wolf at Your Door and issuing the visceral, energetic Iron Lungs that same year. A subsequent shift brought the group to the Nottingham independent In at the Deep End for the stylistically consistent Shadowed by Vultures in 2014, followed by a move to Prosthetic Records and the more commercially oriented No Cure No Saviour two years later.

Nova, Polar’s inaugural Arising Empire album, signaled a modest yet meaningful evolution by foregrounding melodic post-hardcore anthems including “Cradle” and “Drive.” Five Arrows continued along that trajectory, incorporating understated electronic touches and calculated pop hooks while preserving the commanding sonic weight established in earlier work.