Parisian new wave / post-punk duet Hattoman is back with a more cohesive and balanced second EP “Before I Quit”, while still retaining its distinctive lo-fi quality.
As gloomy yet gripping, as it is brooding yet introspective, amidst sharp, bleeding guitar, enveloping hypnotic bass vibrations, lashing drum machines, icy new wave-esque keyboards and lashing rhythms, 6-tracks bursting with dark and pulsating emotionality, further enhanced by the murky deep, passionate voice.
Worth noting the Middle-eastern infused, bass-driven, bitterness that permeates “Egyptian Melancholia”, the meandering around of the shimmering guitar sound in the wistful “Mongolian Path” with hints of The Chameleons, the Joy Divisionesque sharpening disruption and fearfulness of “It Comes At Night” and the rumbling bassline and discordant 6-string strains of the tight “Stray”, albeit my choice of the ‘track of the day’ goes somehow to the more romantic and emotive “Lisbon”.
Reverb-brushed abrasive guitar chords sparkle, smear and finally quiver, with vibrant releasing intensity, over skittering and thudding off-kilter rhythm patterns and densely pulsing hearty bassline, swelled by meandering glowing synth spirals to relive all-consuming feelings of longing and nostalgia, encompassed by emotional baritone vocals, that soothe and comfort, with heartfelt wonder, into the swirling sentimental bliss of ‘Saudade’.
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Photo: Gabriel Dia @gabrielpetitpouletdia
