Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Hey, ily! – Hey, I Loathe You
There was a palpable and electric energy buzzing through Hey, ily!’s Psychokinetic Love Songs, a record that captured a band willing to throw almost any idea in while still making sure the clutter goes down smooth with the undeniable melodies and rad guitar solos. On the group’s new Hey, I Loathe You, it feels as if they channeled that chaotic energy from Psychokinetic Love Songs and sharpened it, creating a record that is more focused in its intent but no less expansive (in fact, it’s quite a deal more expansive). There also seems to be much more of a bite to these tunes (as the title would suggest), making Hey, I Loathe You feel like the GAMI GANG to Psychokinetic Love Songs’ Somewhere City.
Hey, ily! have always been a tight band with impressive instrumentals from every member, but their genre-in-a-blender style has never sounded as good as it does on Hey, I Loathe You. Opener “impending dissolve of hey, ily!” makes it clear that the keys will be a star of the record, but the guitars make their case too with a gnarly Vines-ian riff that opens “Feel Good Forever.” Jumping between two poles of reserved and unleashed, “Wind Up Toy” shines a spotlight on every band member, particularly in the song-stopping instrumental run that kicks off around the 80 second mark, with the drums and bass matching the Sonic-the-Hedgehog energy of the keys and guitars. While the energy and tempos stay high for most of the record, Hey, ily! does show some range on the more restrained tunes like “Pass the body dysmorphia, please!” (which still makes time for a wicked guitar solo) and “Head Like a Zombie,” an emotional high point on the record. The chip tune shines through on “Is Worry” and the hummingbird-like beat on “whenicouldstillfeel,” while “(DIS)CONNECTED” and “dev hell” are perfect examples of Hey, ily!’s ability to blend brutal guitars with starry synths. Kicking off with a horror movie riff, “end credits” almost feels like an EP added to the end of the record, functioning like an epilogue that, if it were to stand alone, would be an impressive enough accomplishment for any band. It’s a great reflection of the record as a whole, which certainly has to put Hey, ily! in the conversation for one of the more consistently solid and intriguing bands in the broader DIY scene.
see through person – every way of living
There’s a beautiful jaggedness that runs through pretty much everything on see through person’s every way of living—the vocals that range from throat-shredding screams to delicate deliveries of the lighter melodies, the ferocious rhythm section, but especially in the guitars that never seem to let you get too comfortable with their sound as the band spirals through one of the record’s many impressive instrumental runs. That clash of beauty and jaggedness fits with a record that feels like a constant battle between two musical forces. Take the stellar opening trio of tracks that brings a raw energy buzzing under complex guitar lines that is then followed with a flip to “temporary word,” which feels more early 2k Subpop than it does Obama-era Lauren Records. The tune functions in a kind of calm-in-the-storm logic, catching your ear and giving you a second to process before blasting into another three-song run of rippers. With it’s plus-four-minute run time “mono-yellow” is particularly impressive, not stretching the band’s limits, but rather showing how much they can cram into one tune without ever feeling oversaturated of jumbled. In a similar way, closer “my stranger” diverts into a light melody that gets more intense as the instrumentals underneath become more panicked before blowing back up again end things with a crash. From top to bottom, every way of living is a great record and one that, despite its immediacy, reveals its real gems the more you dig into it.
your arms are my cocoon – death of a rabbit
The idea of “challenging” music can bring to mind a range of ideas. There’s the strangeness of something like Sung Tongs that asks the listener to get through odd yelps and occult-like percussion to enter the record’s world that might come off as more standoffish to your average listener, but there’s also the odd-but-inviting sound of something like your arms are my cocoon’s death of a rabbit, a record that feels like a transmission from another realm. The fuzz underlying certain tracks, the almost aggressively underwater feel to tunes like “city an ashes,” the ten-minute centerpiece that grows from a sparse banjo opening to a glorious and emotional cascade of sounds under a melody that feels like it could make you levitate, the way “through the brighter eyes of hazel” takes a break from the heavy vibes to confuse you with a wild acoustic guitar interlude, the layering of screamed vocals into one the album’s prettiest moments in “houston,” the interlude-y songs like “swandive” that stress the beauty in the record’s chaos—there’s a ton here that seems antithetical to what your average band would do that make death of a rabbit such a captivating listen. Beyond that, it’s the record that more than any other recently brought to my mind the mantra Blue Broderick of Diners was repeating around the release of her record DOMINO last year: “music is magic.”
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Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
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