Hiva Oa - Souvenir

Hiva Oa - Souvenir 

Musical three piece Hiva Oa’s latest release is a continuation of their trend in producing crisp, curious tracks. Known for their diverse sound, a delicious mixture of electronic and funk music with ghostly vocals, Hiva’s newest release is one of their best yet. Souvenir is an overall restrained track, delicate in its construction and featuring collaboration from Edinburgh based musicians Matthew Collins and Daithí McNabb. Containing a little bit of everything that Hiva are known for, Souvenir is another in a promising number of singles for the Belfast trio.

A jack of all trades, Souvenir does plenty of little things well. Soothing vocals float over a chilled, funky, bass-led beat that slowly builds into a cacophony of noise, with brief interludes of serious funk in-between verses. The ethereal overlays add to the airiness of the track, giving a floaty feeling that sounds like the soundtrack to an out of body experience. Existing on the line between hypnotic and trippy, the electronic beats gradually crescendo as the singer repeats “control”, ironic given the surrender that Hiva seems to pursue. Throughout, there is an almost tangible suggestion of letting go and drifting off, as the mesmerising combination of vocals and music wrap around the listeners like a thick blanket.

The latest in a series of bold and unusual releases, Hiva Oa sound more comfortable with each release. Souvenir has all the indications of a lead album single, presenting the best and brightest of what they have to offer. We can only hope the album follows suit.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stayne - Parachute

Image
Stayne - Parachute Derry singer/songwriter Stayne makes a highly anticipated return to the ‘new releases’ column with ‘ Parachute ’. A self-described pop artist who brings “something a little different,” his newest single pulls no punches. On his latest, the ‘I slay ’ performer tackles everything from alcoholism, spirituality and needing someone to hold on to a 'human parachute.’ Know to fuse his lyricism with introspection and self-worth before sending them out into the world, Stayne’s newest is his best so far. The warm gruff vocals of the walled city resident flow into range, telling a tale of victory and failure. A stripped back arrangement of keys and ghostly strings help elevate the vocal message, ultimately committing addition by subtraction. Wallowing in a more subtle sound than would be expected from pop allows Stayne to bring his voice to the forefront, giving lines such as “I’m a whole different man when I’m holding a beer” a new gravity. With this being
Read more

Stone Broken, Those Damn Crows + Baleful Creed - 10th February 2019

Image
Stone Broken, Those Damn Crows + Baleful Creed - 10th February 2019 As I make my way down fountain street, my breath materialises in front of me. As it dissipates into the night, a low rumbling grows. It’s emanating from the top floor of local music hostelry Voodoo, which plays host tonight to a contingent of hard rock fanatic and headbang enthusiasts. The scuzz is palpable as I make my way through the door. First onstage is Belfast’s own Baleful Creed . The heavy rock quartet, known for their weighty riffs and ruthless demeanour, are having some fun tonight onstage. While sticking to the meat and bones of their gruff sound, we are treated to some wavey psychedelic blues in between licks. These deviations don’t last however, and it’s not long before pounding drum fills are shaking my back wall table and gruff, leathery textured vocals are searing the paint of the wall. Ripping up the stage with a prehistoric sound steeped in the blues (a wild harmonica appears for a moment),
Read more

Son Of The Hound - You Are Alive

Image
Son Of The Hound - You Are Alive  Musician. Writer. Podcaster. Doggo. Friend (?) of Nathan O’Regan. Take your pick from any number of the titles used to describe Mick McCullagh, but for the purpose of this exercise, we’ll refer to him with his nom-de-plume: Son Of The Hound. The guitar pop troubadour with a penchant for soft, almost vulnerable, anthems returns with new track ‘You Are Alive,’ a strident alt-folk/rock number propelled by a determined spirit and resonant tone. An electric echo leads the march before a percussive stomp kicks the anti-nihilism into its wide-eyed gear. The upbeat chorus is introduced with a Janis Joplin-esque roar of “lonely, lonely, loh-oh-oh-oh-ohnely” before a wall of ringing chords, dripping in alacrity and zeal, slams into the listener. Streams of twilight infused licks flow through the track like tributaries, carrying extra pep with each flick of McCullagh's wrist, towards the grand sense of commonality found in the football chant appeal
Read more