Australian post-hardcore outfit Hands Like Houses debuted in the late 2000s, joining a crop of stylish but heavy groups that valued singalong melody as much as aggression. Following the 2012 debut Ground Dweller, which charted higher in the U.S. than their native Australia, the band began a steady rise that reached new heights with 2016's Dissonants. Their sound continued to evolve with 2018's Anon.

Formed in 2008 by members from disbanded groups Eternal Debut and So Long Safety, Hands Like Houses originally comprised singer Trenton Woodley, keyboardist Jamal Sebet, drummer Matt Parkitney, guitarists Alexander Pearson and Matt Cooper, and bassist Joel Tyrrell. The band released a few singles in 2011 before the arrival of its 2012 debut full-length, Ground Dweller (Rise). The album charted on the Billboard Top 200, as did its 2013 follow-up, Unimagine.

In 2014, they released the remix EP Reimagine. A couple months later, Sebet parted ways with the group. In April 2015, the band began work with producer James Paul Wisner (Underøath, Paramore) on its third LP. Dissonants was released in February 2016 and shot into the Top Three of the U.S. hard rock chart, peaking in the Australian Top Ten. An international tour followed, which kept them on the road with acts A Day to Remember, the Amity Affliction, Northlane, and Motionless in White. In 2017, they signed a deal with Hopeless Records. Their first album for the label, the pop-leaning Anon. arrived in 2018 and featured the singles "Overthinking" and "Monster." Following a collaborative single with Samsaruh (2019's "Through Glass"), the crew began issuing singles that were eventually collected onto 2020's Hands Like Houses EP. A brief period away from the spotlight followed in the early 2020s and the band returned in 2022 with the single "Hurricane." In July 2023, the band announced it had parted ways with Woodley; new vocalist Josh Raven (The Faim) joined the band late that year. The revamped Hands Like Houses released "Heaven" in December. ~ Fred Thomas & Neil Z. Yeung