Record of the Week 01/06/2012

Record of the Week 1/6/2012

Hindsights – Weathered (Nowhere Youth)

Before we get going here is a little disclaimer in the name of trying to remain unbiased. This is a review of Hindsight’s debut EP ‘Weathered’. I know/have met all of the members of Hindsights and even went to school with their bass player (who also writes for this very blog) and because I like it when my friends do cool stuff you will probably read this review thinking I’m  a little bit biased.

Right, can I talk about the music now?

‘Weathered’ is Hindsights’ first proper release, their only other musical output being a free demo that you can get off their band camp if you’re interested. Despite it being the work of a band still in their infancy it shows the kind of musical maturity that you’d expect from a band that has been spitting angst into microphones for years. It is short (five tracks in ten minutes) and easy to listen too. Most importantly of all though, it makes you actually feel something called an emotion…

After the atmospheric ‘Open Eyes’ opens proceedings the bouncy ‘Foo Fighters doing emo’ guitar line of ‘600 Miles’ bursts into life and things really get going. Written about the experience of touring and making friends on the way anyone familiar with the Nai Harvest school of raw, honest lyrics will have a good idea where the song is going. Delay drenched guitar lines fill the gaps between the vocal heart opening and if you’re ever been in a band you’ll probably relate to the ‘I’m sick of how I feel inside, I want to be doing this for a long time’ sentiment.

‘Weathered’ also sees the excellent ‘Bones’ that you may know from the band’s demo get reworked. Given the studio treatment it sounds even fresher, one minute and sixteen seconds of prime quality emocore that will blast the cobwebs from your ears if you give it a chance. It also merges seamlessly into ‘Mirrored’ a track that (if you will allow me to sound pretentious) could be considered the younger brother to ‘Bones’. Punky guitars and cymbal heavy drumming is punctuated by a slowed down middle section where the intensity is pulled back a notch until the cry of ‘I am already weathered’ from which the EP’s title is drawn kicks the song up to maximum again.

The final track is ‘Fisherman’s Wharf’ and to me at least is the most interesting track Hindsights have released to date. It is more atmospheric and instrumental that anything else on the EP, with shades of Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate about it. It is a track that grows around you as you listen and  is also the record at its most heart breaking with the refrain of ‘I smiled for the first time in a while, I smiled’.

Now as I said at the start you could assumed upon reading this that most of my opinions about ‘Weathered’ are based upon the fact that it would be fucking awkward if I slagged of my mate’s band. You’re right in one respect, it would be fucking awkward but luckily I don’t have to pretend to like it because ‘Weathered’ is good enough that it speaks for itself. When you get a chance give it a listen and if you still think I’m only fawning over it because I like the guys who wrote it then feel free to let me know. But I’m pretty sure you’ll love it as much as I do.

Patchx