Robyn Writes

Artist Spotlight: Hornets

Hornets are incredibly hard to define. And that’s just the way they like it. The Belfast four-piece are a powerhouse of slow grooves and hardcore punk riffs, consistently smashing genre boundaries and playing with an absolute precision that’s hard to rival.

Their new EP No Faith is the perfect example of this. Opening track and lead single ‘Stay Free’ is completely arresting, with a rumbling bass and fast and furious riffs. The backing vocals are occasionally more akin to black metal than hardcore, giving the song a terrifying and demanding edge. ‘Advice’ and ‘Jehovah’ take slower, doomier routes, but are no less compelling; intriguing effects and a consistently strong rhythm keep things interesting, while the verses hit like nuclear blasts. And for those too afraid to let go of a good breakdown, there are plenty of opportunities to throw down throughout. ‘For Always’ goes deep – both lyrically and musically, with a disturbing timbre. Closing track ‘Behind Me’ is surprisingly groovy catchy, despite chilling screams and doom-laden bass, and leaves a certain message lingering – Hornets are not to be trifled with.

This week, I caught up with Andy and Ricky to discuss No Faith’s musical direction, future plans and heavy, heavy music…

When first stepping into the studio, what were your intentions for No Faith? What was your biggest influence on the record?

I guess the main intention was to get into the studio with Rocky O’Reilly (Start Together Studio Belfast) and get the songs tracked, in a reasonable time period, to the absolute best of our abilities. We had all the song structures and most of the lyrics in place before heading into the studio in an attempt to save time and money, in total we spent 4 days tracking the EP which we thought was pretty reasonable. In terms of influence, Belfast based heavyweights “Slomatics” have played a big part in inspiring us to incorporate more elements of sludge / doom into our music. We’ve played a few shows with them and they’re all awesome dudes, keep an eye out for their new album dropping soon.

How long did it take No Faith to come to fruition?

It was a relatively short process to get the songs for this EP banged out. Stay Free and Advice were written first, and then the last three tunes on the EP were written together. No Faith was crafted over the space of about two and a half months, most of the writing took place in the rehearsal room as a three piece before Craig (our new bassist) joined the band.

Although your previous material is still pretty heavy, No Faith seems to have taken on a slower and much doomier edge and sounds worlds apart from anything else you’ve done. What led you in that direction?

The main focus with this EP was attention to the groove and pace of the songs. We’ve written plenty of fast stuff before and decided that it was time to change it up a little. It was an opportunity to challenge ourselves and keep the writing process fresh, we wanted to see if we could approach the process with more emphasis on groove, yet still retain the heavy nature of Hornets. It was refreshing and I think it’s definitely put us on the right path to refine this doom / punk sound we have been working on.

That bass is RIDICULOUSLY deep. What tunings are you all playing in?!

Yeah at points we’re verging on brown note material with the bass! The first two tracks on the EP (Stay Free and Advice) are dropped C tuning (CGCFAD). The last three make use of an even lower tuning, dropped G (GGCFAD), you can get some seriously filthy chords out of this tuning. A lot of the guitar tones on the EP also have an octave down effect on them, this helps to add even more bottom end into the mix.

Lyrically, No Faith paints a very desolate picture. What fed into that as you were writing?

The lyrics make reference to personal relationships, struggles in everyday life… also the usual cathartic exorcism of demons you might expect to find in music typical of this genre. James (lead vocals) considers it a positive way to release this build-up of negative energy. Some of the lyrics were written when we were in the studio recording about events that were happening at the time. I guess more than anything the vocals on this EP are honest and straight to the point.

Is there a particularly big scene for this kind of music in Belfast, or do you find you stand out from the crowd?

There’s not a huge scene in Belfast for heavy music, the punk / hardcore scene in Dublin would be better established. From the beginning we’ve always tried include ourselves in as many diverse gig line-ups as possible. Whilst there’s no denying our music is heavy, I think it has the potential to appeal to people who maybe don’t listen to predominately heavy music. We try to incorporate snappy song structures with heavy hooks in an attempt to keep our music accessible to a wider audience.

You’re just about to embark on your first tour outside of Ireland, and you’ve chosen a couple of reasonably unconventional destinations. How do you think you’ll be received, and for those who are watching you for the first time, what should they expect?

Hopefully we’ll be received well. We really enjoy playing to new people and it’s always a refreshing challenge to try and win over new fans. We look forward to the sincerity of people’s reactions upon seeing Hornets for the first time. Our live show is fairly intense, everyone steps up and gives 100% every time we play so that’s something to look out for!

What else have you got in store for 2014?

We’ve already started writing more new material again, so we’ll be in the studio before the year is out. We’ll also be back on the mainland to tour, and hopefully further afield so stay tuned on all the usual social media outlets.

Hornets are James McAuley, Andy Shields, Richard McAuley and Craig McCloskey. No Faith will be released on March 31st, and all other releases are available on their Bandcamp.

Review: Bast – Spectres

We’re told not to judge a book (this is a CD, but run with it) by its cover, but when it comes to Bast’s debut release, I’d positively recommend it. Sporting some of the most divine cover art I’ve seen in years, Spectres delivers far beyond all expectations. Recorded by Conan’s Jon Davis, a heavy slab of doom was obviously expected, but what revealed itself was far more multi faceted than that.

Blending doom themes with strong black and trippy influences, Bast comes across as the beautiful bastard son of Electric Wizard, EyeHateGod and Dopethrone. Creating a continual changing atmosphere rather than a series of disconnected tracks, Spectres is a huge wedge of sound. While only featuring five tracks, with the shortest clocking in at 6:41, this feels far more of a monolithic release than a standard album.

‘In the Beginning’ is a masterclass in how to build a song – opening with a tangibly bleak, sparse arrangement, we’re soon pushed into a rolling blackened landscape that continues to spiral with the addition of Bryan’s raw vocals. As the album progresses, Bast’s skilled way of blending genres becomes more and more apparent. While ‘Denizens’ has moments of old Sabbath-esque guitar work, it’s soon set against a ragged landscape of stripped-back psychedelia, then into black territory, then back again.

While the title track of Spectres is more familiar black/doom fare, the clarity of the track is perfectly balanced. It must be said that the production on this album is flawless. With so many of their peers choosing to present their music as though it’d been captured through floorboards on a child’s tape recorder, being able to hear all elements blended perfectly is something of a breath of fresh air. That isn’t to say that all tracks have been polished to within an inch of their lives; ‘Psychonauts’ is a fine example of that. It seems to be an unwritten rule that any doom release without a nine minute instrumental won’t be worth listening to; with ‘Psychonauts’ clocking in at 9:36, they’ve more than passed the test.

‘Outside The Circles’ closes the album with a far more chilled vibe than that of its contemporaries. Indeed, it’s the sort of song everyone needs to veg out to and try to take in the sheer enormity of Bast’s undertaking.
To pin any track down as being of a particular genre or heading in one direction is as easy as fitting a moose in a phone box. As soon as the listener gets comfortable, Bast take a sudden turn and you’re taken down another street. That isn’t to say that too many cooks (or genres) have spoilt the broth, rather that every change, however large or small, seems effortless.

With bands such as this, it’s an unwritten rule that a review must close with some well-worn, garish hyperbole such as ‘this album is like a thousand hammers smashing you in the jaw’ or ‘they make you want to kill your mother and play riffs atop the corpse’. So to put it plainly and honestly, Bast’s debut album is stunning. Spectres is an utterly beautiful creation that will far eclipse the recent works of their peers. I want more.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Cayetana – Hot Dad Calendar [EP]

Let’s not mince words – it’s only February and already, I reckon I’ve found my two favourite releases of this year. Against Me!’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues is a total masterpiece, and then, there’s the new Cayetana 7-inch, Hot Dad Calendar. It’s only two tracks long, and frustratingly so, because Cayetana are totally now your new favourite band. For reals.

Hot Dad Calendar is intrinsically punk rock, as was its predecessor, the aptly named Demo. None of it feels processed or phoned in, or obviously written by just one person; instead, this record, like the one before it, sounds like the product of sweet jams. It lacks some of the rawness of the demo, which came out in December 2012, but instead, Cayetana have found a much more balanced sound while still remaining somewhat low-fi.

Titular track ‘Hot Dad Calendar’ gives off some truly sunny indie-punk vibes. The guitar has the perfect tone, and the lyrics are totally honest and touching. I want to write songs like Cayetana. I want to write songs that mean something, like these ladies do, with lines like “I know you really want to make it out alive”, which strike perfectly. ‘Ella’, which was previously included on the demo, is just as effective, with really punchy drums and simply stunning guitar.

Two tracks, incredible though they are, just isn’t enough. When Cayetana put out a full-length, they’re going to be pretty unstoppable, so get in on the ground floor now.

5 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Manhattan Coast – This One’s For You [EP]

Bursting forth from the incredibly lucrative musical valleys of South Wales in a flurry of hooks and faux-American nasal accents is five-piece Manhattan Coast. This One’s For You is an accomplished declaration of audacious intent, their collective aim angled firmly at producing that smash hit pop-punk single that will bring them success and the subsequent ubiquitous energy drink endorsement deal. In fact, every one of the five tracks included on the EP is riddled with traits that have brought success to every high achieving contemporary pop-punk band, to the extent that ‘This One’s For You’ acts as a checklist for generic pop-punk exponents. Incredibly nasal American accents that belie the band’s true geographical locality: check. Bouncy, major-key breakdowns: check. Huge choruses that more-or-less render the rest of the song irrelevant: check. A measured dose of backing vocal “woah-oh’s”: check.

To set aside my charcoal black heart for one moment, and ignore the acidic cynicism that spews from it like an overactive geyser, This One’s For You is pop-punk in its most concentrated form. A perfect melding of driving drums and choruses that live up to their intended purpose as aural fishing nets, designed to trap impressionable teens with volleys of hooks enacted by singer and guitarist in equal measure.

What’s more, This One’s For You proves just how little pop-punk has managed to progress. Despite a few bands – Don Broco for one, that have managed to at least attempt to incorporate the slightest amount of stylistic variation into their otherwise straightforward pop-punk opus – Manhattan Coast seem irrefutably trapped in a musical void circa 2007. Images of floppy side fringes and Topman v-necks abound.

They do everything that their sub-genre demands of them, and nothing more. In this respect, This One’s For You acts as a definitive genre study; a perfect and studious amalgamation of everything that popularized pop-punk, condensed into five streamlined tracks that should attain some sort of pop-punk perfection, given the hindsight Manhattan Coast are afforded to the pop-punk discourse. It’s fervently generic, the exact same formula being peddled by countless troupes of preened and idealistic lads in the UK’s toilet venues, still holding onto the dream that they can replicate the success of such arena filling bands as You Me At Six. To their credit, Manhattan Coast possess a keen ear for a catchy melody or two, but sadly none of the songs are particularly memorable affairs, despite their best efforts to the contrary. Opener ‘War On The Weekend’ is probably the most concerted effort, its chorus a radio-friendly exhibition of vocal histrionics and simplistic guitar melodies, sure to win the hearts of a swathe of fifteen year-old girls should it be granted airplay on Radio One. The rest however, never rise above average.

If you’re an ardent fan of pop-punk, Manhattan Coast will unquestionably appeal; for others, their generic and uninspired compositions leave a bland taste in the mouth.

2 out of 5 high fives!

Depths – We Love, We Lose, We Break

What a treat we have for you my lovelies, a passionately sculpted new single by Belgian post-hardcore outfit Depths. So let’s jump right in, shall we? Title track ‘We Love, We Lose, We Break’ unleashes an unholy amount of raw, pent-up emotion, summed up in lead singer Olivier’s growl of “we lose what we love and we hate what we gain, just a vicious circle pulling us in.” The track is held together with control, a melancholic battle between heart wrenching sorrow and blood boiling fury, with pounding climaxes subsiding to gentler moments of reflection.

Second track ‘Alone and Forsaken’ follows suit, never loud for the sake of it, only to convey equal measures of anguish and anger. The intro begins slowly, coaxing in the listener before delivering on its promise of rhythmic melodies and accompanying drums – all coming together to serve up a great sequel to the title track. What can we say about Depths judging by their recent release? Regrettably not too much given that it’s only 2 tracks, but what we hear is promising!

I’ve said it before, and honestly, I’ll keep saying it, but I think bands like Depths could benefit from a little more variation with the vocals. The growls are good by all accounts, I’m not taking anything away from them. Olivier unleashes a fiery emotive and angst filled vocal performance, but sometimes it is easier to appreciate the strength of this kind of vocal performance against a softer backdrop. I’m not expecting moments where the vocals reach the levels of a soft and soothing ballad, but not only would some softer vocals boost the intense presence of the harsher vocals, it would also show a greater variation of talent (which is no bad thing).

Besides any artistic preferences about Olivier’s vocal delivery, there isn’t much negativity to bring against the release. A single is seldom indicative of everything a band has to offer, so we can hope for more variation and invention from an EP or album. When that next release comes, we’ll be listening out for it with our keen little ears on – and so should you!

3.5 out of 5 high fives!