H.Grimace – Self Architect – Album Review by Killian Laher

Anglo-Australian band H.Grimace arrive fully formed with an accomplished debut album. It kicks off with the title track, which sets the tone, an edgy mixture of the Kim Gordon-sung Sonic Youth songs, with a bit of PJ Harvey thrown in. That’s not to say this album is overly derivative, the guitar playing for a start is excellent, placing this collection firmly in the Premier League of indie rock. Land/Body will appeal to anybody who enjoyed PJ Harvey’s Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea. This track shares that album’s atmosphere but with considerably more get up and go. On Call It Out the band kicks up a mighty storm, evoking Kim Gordon and co but with more of a short punky feel.

Less successful is 2.1 Woman featuring Irish artist Vivienne Griffin, who tries a spoken word ‘beat poetry’ type thing but doesn’t really work with her Irish accent. But for the rest, brooding fury is more the order of the day here, and the guitar riffs on Lipsyncer and the title track certainly create that. If anything the closer Royal Hush is more reflective than what went before, with an almost regretful atmosphere. So overall a fine collection of edgy rockers, not unlike Kim Gordon’s stronger moments with Sonic Youth.

Track List:

1. Thoroughbred
2. Land/Body
3. Call It Out
4. 2.1 Woman
5. Lipsyncer
6. Self Architect
7. Excavations
8. Jockey
9. The Dial
10. Royal Hush

Royal Hush: