Музыка и песни Hookworms / Hookworms

Style: Alternative

Style: Alternative

Artist: Hookworms Label: Gringo Records

For a while now Leeds five-piece HOOKWORMS have been terrorising headlining bands across northern England and beyond, not through histrionics or gimmick, but through sheer sonic velocity and emotive intent. Often bracketed among the latest wave of psychedelic rock currently appearing in pockets around the UK (as support slots with WOODEN SHJIPS, SUN ARAW and PEAKING LIGHTS attest), this tag is somewhat of a misnomer for a band whose use of repetition and reverb is not to open the third dimension or for some sort of flower-power escapism. Instead the reel feels cathartic, each fresh revolution of the loop a confrontation between the band and themes of depression, loss and anger - subjects close to the heart of the group's vocalist MJ ("no enigma; we just don't use our full names, we've no interest in being celebrities."). "Pearl Mystic" is an absolutely thunderous statement of intent for HOOKWORMS after a portentous couple of years of live shows and limited releases. Like SPACEMAN 3, they pointedly subvert the tripped out sound environments of psychedelia with a darkly malevolent punk menace; unlike J.Spaceman et al, there's no chemical assistance, these concepts and feelings come with clarity, and hit all the harder for it. The LP's themes focus on a deeply personal narrative surrounding a lost relationship and a battle with depression that at its worst brought about, as MJ, puts it "a half-hearted suicide attempt". The record was recorded and produced in MJ's own Suburban Studios - where he's worked on records for MAZES, EAGULLS and SPECTRALS among others - and he admits he enjoyed the greater freedom he could allow himself on his own project. Years of acclaimed production work have given him a great understanding for blending together the abilities of both man and machine. "My vocal style, for instance, has been informed by the Roland Space Echo" he points out. "The delayed vocals originated as a comfort blanket for the low confidence I have in my voice, but I have since learnt to sing with the machine - I understand its limitations and breaking points." Certainly the production is lush, erring on the lo-fi side but contrasting that with a sense that every element has been pored over and deeply considered. Indeed, the most impressive thing about Hookworms is that, through this torrent of emotion, through their wild motorik and their thick slabs of noise that threaten to spill over, there's always the sense that they're in control of it all, so committed are they to this catharsis that they refuse to throw any of it to chance. Record Label: Gringo Records Style: Psychedelic Rock