Paul Bamforth

On opening the message from the band, offering their wares for review, the closing line read “You must promise to enjoy it to its potential”. This struck me as a fairly strange thing to say, but intrigued me immensely. So I checked them out and was impressed. Not only was the music very listenable, it was exciting and passionate with a sense of urgency that I’ve not heard from a punk band in some time. The term punk is used loosely of course, with the sound ranging from the grunge of Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth to the musings of Lightning bolt and Trail of dead. When I got the Ep through the post I also received a piece of original artwork, painted on the back of the vocalist’s rejection from a job application, by this point I was bursting to listen.

‘Try #2’ is the opener and my favourite out of the lot. It’s a quirky affair with vocalist Jack Mellin taking advantage of the sparse arrangement to show off his impeccable vocal work. Sounding something like Simon Neil (before the NME had their way and the puzzle era began), Jack’s voice tears through the crunchy guitars and bass with ease. It’s a voice with a lot of character, something Hyena owe a lot to. What’s surprising is that stripped of the overdriven guitars and the snarling vocals, ‘Try #2’ functions as an undeniable pop song. The vocals and guitar, no matter how aggressive or distortion drenched, create a very catchy chorus, uncharacteristic of such a raw band.

Track 2 ‘Abbenny’ exposes a heavier side to Hyena opening with a drum solo of sorts. The track soon morphs into a gloomy verse section, complete with muttered vocals and minor guitar. The track moves from this into a bludgeoning chorus and repeats this formula until the end. It’s a track brimming with riffs and has a real excitement, especially when considering how fundamentally repetitive it is.

Moving further through the Ep it’s hard to find fault with their punk inspired brand of alternative rock, in particular the progressive behemoth that is the closing track ‘The Ballad of the Man with the Laughing Hand’. Clocking in at an impressive 12 minutes and 29 seconds it pushes the length of the Cd to over 26 minutes. It’s a slow burning piece, unrelenting from start to finish and utilising many a dischord along the way, somewhat reminiscent of the longer Million Dead tracks.

Hyena are an awesome band and this Ep is a testament to the enduring brilliance of contemporary Scottish bands. I urge you to go and see the band on tour in February and May and the buy the record - you won’t be let down.

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