Dampé - Hour of the Wolf Nashville, TN based rock duo Dampe made up of Matt Everett and Tyler Simmons have released their first EP ‘Hour of the Wolf’. The band formed in 2017 and love to mix a range of different genres into their music including post hardcore R&B and 80s pop. Opening track ‘Helping Hand’ has a relaxed guitar sound to its start and some nice sounding vocals to match. The combined vocals of Matt Everett and Tyler Simmons work well together to get the emotion of the song across while keeping the song moving along at a nice pace, a solid opener that will keep the interest of the listener. Lead single ‘Pick Your Poison’ shows the band trying to mix together a few different genres. In terms of the music the song flows effortlessly along with all the instruments working as one to deliver a track that you will be listening to again and again. When it comes to the vocals they do very well, particularly on the chorus. The dual vocals really work as they let the listener hear the raw emotional feelings that are contained within. The guys here know their vocal range and use it to get effectiveness. You can see why they chose this track as the lead single, as it’s a well put together song that will get a lot of attention with the right crowds. ‘Jailbreak’ feels like a pop punk song with a post-hardcore guitar riff at its core. It would fit perfectly in the early to mid part of the 2000s and it ticks all the right boxes, it’s short, sharp and to the point. It has very catchy guitar sounds that are showcased throughout and again those rhythmic style vocals drive the song home. ‘Words (That Don’t Mean a Thing)’ Once again has a more relaxed feel to it as the band sings about a lost relationship. The emotional vocals hit home. An Interesting thing to note about this song is that it was originally going to be done as an acoustic which I think would have made the emotional vocals sound even better. It’s another good track from the band that showcases how diverse they can be. ‘Hour of the Wolf’ is last up and it is also the longest track on the EP. The song itself is another emotion-driven rock listen that again makes good use of mixing genres together. It’s solid throughout with all the different elements again working together to end the EP on a high note. This first offering from Dampe is a very interesting listen. The use of mixed genres and the outstanding duel vocals of both Matt Everett and Tyler Simmons really give the listener a taste of what this band has to offer going forward. It will be interesting to hear what their first full length album will be like. LS
Horse Jumper Of Love - So Divine Hailing from Boston, the wonderfully named Horse Jumper Of Love have returned with their second album, ‘So Divine’. Coming almost three years after their debut, self-titled album, Horse Jumper Of Love offer a sound that sits somewhere between post-rock, shoegaze and lo-fi indie. They've been described as "slow rock", a label that seems to fit quite well at times and does them a bit of a disservice at others. ‘So Divine’, despite its rather short running time (sub 30 minutes), offers plenty of variety in its approach. Often, this is a good thing, but in the case of ‘So Divine’, in places it feels forced. The sudden stylistic changes that occur midsong in the likes of ‘Volcano’ seem like deliberate decisions have been taken, that particular songs need to suddenly "musically veer off course", whether it suits the song or not. The shorter songs like ‘Cops’, ‘Aliens’ and ‘Twist Cone’ offer little. With that said, the album isn't without enjoyable moments. The opening ‘Airport’ is a very effective post-rock / fuzz-rock song. ‘Ur Real Life’ has tinges of Red Sparowes and ASIWYFA about it with the guitar tones, while ‘John Song’ is a peaceful, melancholic taster of lo-fi indie with natural progression that fits the band well. Sadly the album ends on a bit of a non-event with ‘Heaven’, which tries to be a noise-rock / ambient closing track to the album but just ends up sounding like a random collection of samples with a few bars of bass thrown in towards the end. Overall, it's very much a mixed bag from Horse Jumper Of Love on their sophomore album, but there's enough positive signs to make us hope for real progression if there is an album three. JG