From the rugged coastlines of Portsmouth, England, rises a band whose foundation is as solid as the rhythms they produce. Saint Enemy* is not your typical breakout act, they are a musical brotherhood, a trio bound by years of friendship, shared stages, and a unified vision. Comprising Lee Brooks on lead vocals and guitar, Rob Pegg on drums, and Piotr Daniel on bass guitar, the band’s story is one of evolution, resilience, and a relentless commitment to authenticity. Lee and Rob first crossed paths over 16 years ago during their time studying music in college. Their chemistry was instant, and it would go on to define their creative journey. Together, they co-founded the ska/indie band Subsetters, which ran from 2013 to 2022, playing hundreds of shows across the UK and supporting a host of established acts. Their time in Subsetters refined their musical intuition, forged their stagecraft, and rooted their connection in shared experience.
But like many, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a pause, and with it, reflection. When Subsetters went into hiatus, Lee and Rob saw an opportunity to reinvent, to create something new that reflected who they had become as musicians and people. Joining forces with long-time friend Piotr Daniel, a bassist with both groove and grit, Saint Enemy was born, not as a continuation, but as a reinvention. What sets Saint Enemy apart is their collaborative ethos. Every member contributes to the writing process, ensuring their music reflects a blend of perspectives, influences, and lived experience. Their sound is a rich amalgam of the musical icons they revere: the emotional textures of Incubus, the raw power of Foo Fighters, the anthemic swagger of Oasis, the ambient exploration of Angels & Airwaves, and the innovation of artists like Jack White and The Killers. Rather than limit themselves to one genre or style, they build sonic landscapes rooted in brotherhood, experimentation, and emotional honesty.
On June 6th, 2025, Saint Enemy unveiled their powerful original single, Hold Me Like a Grudge, a track that immediately marks their arrival as a force with both grit and grace. Born from personal experience and emotional reflection, the single captures the raw essence of eternal love, longing, and the ache to be held onto forever, even if it’s with the tenacity of a grudge.This song is a statement, one that challenges the listener to reconsider how love holds on, how memory clings, and how emotional bonds can be both beautiful and bruising. With a sound shaped by the likes of Incubus, Foo Fighters, and Oasis, and recorded in the atmospheric Old Chapel Studios in West Sussex with long-time collaborator Paul Burton, Hold Me Like a Grudge radiates both intimacy and intensity. It’s the band’s reintroduction to the world, not as new faces, but as seasoned artists stepping boldly into a new era. This is Saint Enemy: rooted in history, fueled by brotherhood, and unafraid to bare their souls through music that lingers long after the final note.
Hold Me Like A Grudge begins with a clear signal that Saint Enemy isn’t here to play it safe or follow the usual rules. The opening crashes through the speakers, it creeps in with a tight, tension-wrapped coiling of rhythm and intent that immediately draws the listener in. It walks in like a shadow, guided by a deliberate beat that’s sharp, punchy, and unshaken. This calculated entrance allows the track to breathe a gritty kind of swagger, the sort that feels like strutting alone down a neon-lit alley where danger and allure blur together. Right from the first few seconds, the groove takes hold, a fusion of post-punk sharpness and modern rock-funk flair that shuns predictability. Instead of rushing to overwhelm the senses, the song lays down a dark, magnetic foundation, allowing each sonic element to slither in with cinematic grace. It’s a moody, simmering start, subtle yet intense, setting the tone for a track that commands attention without ever needing to raise its voice.
As the track progresses, those subtle shifts begin to bloom into something more intricate and alive. The transitions glide smoothly between restraint and intensity, always holding back just enough to keep you leaning forward. Guitars begin to weave in with a serpentine confidence, distorted and gritty, they twist and curl around the drum patterns like whispered threats. Then the bass enters, low and steady, a hip-swinging groove machine that anchors everything beneath a thick, pulsating energy. There’s a punk-funk attitude at play here that’s deeply rooted in classic rock rebellion, but it feels freshly reinvented. Each verse simmers like a fuse being slowly lit, teasing the listener with a promise of release. And just when you expect that cathartic explosion in the chorus, the band chooses another route, it dances. The chorus floats and sways instead of smashing through, rejecting chaos for control. That refusal to conform to expectation is one of the track’s greatest strengths, making its structure and progression captivating in the most satisfying way.
Vocally, Saint Enemy delivers a performance that’s equal parts sinister, seductive, and deeply self-aware. The vocal entry slinks in with an eerie calm, almost whispered at first, but laced with an undeniable authority. There’s a theatrical quality in the phrasing, a sense that each line has been carefully weighed and chosen not just to be heard, but to be felt. Lines like Hold me like a grudge don’t just land, they carve themselves into the track’s emotional core. The delivery captures a cocktail of sentiments, anger, longing, frustration, irony, all tucked into a tone that balances between emotional vulnerability and hardened resolve. It’s a voice that doesn’t scream for attention but instead draws you in by being present, controlled, and absolutely certain of its power. Even as the instrumentation rises around it, the vocals never lose their grounding, maintaining an intimacy that pulses at the heart of the chaos. It’s this tension, between detachment and exposure, that gives the vocal performance its arresting charm.
Instrumentally, the song is a tightly-wound blend of restraint and richness, proving that subtlety can often be more impactful than sheer force. The drums stay crisp and deliberate, acting as the track’s spine, a metronome of brooding intention that everything else clings to. Guitars flash between jagged stabs and smoother, more atmospheric chords, creating a texture that is both grounded and ghostly. The bassline continues to shine throughout, not just supporting the rhythm but actively shaping the tone and guiding emotional shifts. There’s a refreshing minimalism in the production, yet the arrangement never feels sparse or hollow. Every sound has its place, its space, and its purpose. Even the synth textures, low, shimmering, spectral, float in and out with surgical precision, enhancing the emotional atmosphere without ever dominating it. Together, these elements form a soundscape that feels haunted yet polished, like staring into a mirror in low light, beautiful but tinged with unease.
What makes Hold Me Like A Grudge so potent isn’t any single element, it’s the seamless, living synergy between all its parts. The vocals and the instrumentation don’t simply accompany one another, they converse, push, pull, and swirl together like smoke in a sealed room. There are passages where the groove leads the way, dragging the voice behind it like a reluctant truth, and moments where the vocals take control, steering the instrumentation into darker corners. This interplay creates a dynamic sonic narrative that constantly shifts, evolves, and resists stagnation. The song feels like an argument laced with romance, or a confession shouted behind closed doors, equal parts catharsis and confrontation. Each component carries emotional weight, but it’s in their union that the real magic unfolds. The track becomes more than just music, it becomes an immersive environment, a moment you step into and live inside.
Hold Me Like a Grudge is A Darkly Romantic Rock Ballad of Grit, Groove, and Emotional Gravity
Listening to Hold Me Like A Grudge is an experience that lingers. From the first pulse to the final breath, I found myself swept into its dense atmosphere, caught between the rhythm and the emotional gravity beneath it. The song doesn’t just play in the background, it occupies the space, reshaping your mood and pulling you into its world. There’s a cinematic grit to it all, something that feels like the soundtrack to a slow-motion memory or a moment suspended in time. It makes you want to move, but with a purpose. It carries a groove that gets under your skin, but it also stings in places you didn’t expect. It’s both a dance and a reckoning. And as it closes, there’s a haunting satisfaction left behind, like the silence that follows a deep exhale. Saint Enemy has created more than a song, they’ve crafted an atmosphere, a tension, a feeling you’ll want to return to, just to feel that pull again.
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