HMLTD - “The West Is Dead”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 7

Pairs Well With…Nine Inch Nails, Idles, King Nun

While just five songs have been released from HMLTD’s upcoming full-length West of Eden, the wildly ambitious sound they are pulling off is already apparent. Opening with “The West Is Dead”, the UK five-piece make a full, post-punk statement of spoken-word meditation, jungle rhythms, and propulsive guitar echoes. HMLTD’s music bubbles with tension and purpose like on industrial, new wave banger “LOADED”, a song infused with gospel and blues melody transcended into an intense, electronic rock track. “To The Door” rips surf rock riffs and jangly, new wave chords with hungry instincts, intersected with trip hop spaciness, a completely different vibe than “Why?”, a spacious slice of whispered ambience, orchestral grandeur, and spooky ghosts of melody. It’s impressive how much ground HMLTD is covering on West of Eden so far, without compromise and with expert compositional skill, yielding one of the most anticipated releases this February. (Kevin McStravick)