Hard Looks - One Step
HARD LOOKS RELEASE POTENT ‘ONE STEP’
Minneapolis pop-punk outfit Hard Looks dropped a new album, entitled One Step, at the end of last week.
Hard Looks
According to their Bandcamp page: “HARD LOOKS is a very catchy melodic punk band in Minneapolis. Fast driving drums plus hard and funky bass lines keep the low end rumbling. While two guitars build off each other and bring the music into another dimension. Powerful lead vocals, with plenty of melodies, create a frantic, emotional connection.”
The band is made up of Joy Spika (vocals), Dylan Marchant (rhythm guitar), Julia Jennings (bass, vocals), Ang Oase (lead guitar, vocals), and Angie Raschio (drums).
One Step encompasses 10-tracks, beginning with “Gaslight,” which opens on a fat rolling bassline flowing into a tight, stripped down pop-punk melody topped by deliciously nasal vocal harmonies reflecting hints of Latin and country western flavors.
Oase has the magic touch on the guitar, keeping it tight and right.
Entry points include “Bugs,” featuring gleaming jangly guitar riffs, a taut rhythm, and riot grrl harmonies. Once again, there are hints of alt-country filaments running through the tune, giving it an alluring austerity.
“Aurora Borealis” surges with potent dirty guitars glistening with metallic tones and beau coup punk heft. Spika’s high timbres infuse the lyrics with tantalizing wisps of sassy textures. “War Machine” travels on heavier, darker guitars underscored by a fat grumbling bassline. Spika’s voice assumes ominous surface colors, as bright harmonies imbue the tune with sonic depth.
“Take Me” rides an upbeat rhythm capped by dirty quivering guitars. I love the elevated searing energy of the guitar solo on this track. “Sticks n Stones” rolls on a thrumming rhythm crowned by smoldering licks full of fierce flaming colors. Oase has the magic touch on the guitar, keeping it tight and right. Vague tinges of rockabilly trickle from this song, injecting the harmonics with tasty layers of shimmering dynamics.
Hard Looks have it going on, blending raw washes of guitars with honeyed jangly colors and scrumptiously evocative vocals.
