aaamusic | On 16, Sep 2012

Having briefly stumbled across The Hickey Underworld before, I know one thing: they are dark. Very dark. But unlike the recent UK dark rock scenes that draw on goth rock and Black Sabbath, The Hickey Underworld instead use an artsy and almost mechanical grunge sound to hit their point home. ‘The Frog’ has a borderline inhuman drum rhythm that is just a little too precise for comfort to build the scaffold for a noisy, distorted guitar squall. But within the tortured distortion and anguished vocal delivery, there’s an ear for a great pop hook. The basslines are deliciously juicy and nimble, like a sleek prey animal to the scuzzy wolf that is the song’s general aesthetics. Occasionally bursts of cleaner guitar cut through over the top, and the bridge turns the song into a whole different beast, as synthy overtones carry the melody, which is dragged out into a slow, laboured buildup that remains compelling until it hits the final, cathartic moment.
Within one song, The Hickey Underworld have condensed Shellac, Nine Inch Nails, and Nirvana into one tight package. It’s scuzzy, robotic, tortured, and bleak as anything on the surface, but the master stroke comes when you find yourself humming along to the infectious riffs and appreciating the dynamics within its runtime. The Hickey Underworld aren’t just good at their sound, but they know exactly how to write a damn good song. And really, what more could you ask for?

★★★★★

Katie H-Halinski