It seems so preachy to be punk these days. Johnny Rotten sold butter and
released a mediocre PiL album, Iggy Pop sells car insurance, and The Ramones
still sell t-shirts. There are places for punks to live, breathe, and play
music. New York City still has an enormous amount of punks, staring down at the
hipsters. They eagerly wear dirty clothes travelling through Brooklyn, to get
to the East Village on a Friday night. The tank top and pop punk spikey hair of
Derek Watson is the punk version of Sleigh Bells sunglasses guitarist Derek E.
Miller. And if Alexis Krauss' vocals are too much for you, then
Hunters' very own vocalist and eccentric front women Izzy Almeida
should be more suited. Both signed to Mom + Pop, both impressed by the grunge
sounds of the 90s, the post-duo's of today have two things on their minds,
noise, and rock.
Hunters played the 4Knots Festival in New York City last June, topping The
Men, Marnie Stern, and Parquet Courts as the best act. Clouded in
guitar driven emersion and post-punk feels, EP Hands On Fire is Hunters'
mission statement. It's been a journey of pure punk, then they signed to M.I.A.
Already proven to be a cult status label, Mom + Pop can successfully transform
Hunters from a high school showcase band to the real deal. Courtney Love will
be a fan, Billy Corgan too. You have to hear it to believe it,
these guys are going places.
"She's So" is Hunters' latest release
off their upcoming debut album. You won't find it circulating the internet in
the masses like a fake Lady Gaga B-side, so understand this: organic music is
delivered in the minors; the talent is surfaced through re-blogging and word of
mouth, even in the digital age where Facebook has replaced the mailing list. It's the Sound of
Silver, the love/hate relationship of a geographic location, the ideologies,
the passion, it's the music we live for, and die for. Hunters fulfil the hopes
and dreams of a 80s kid wanting more Smashing Pumpkins. S/he adores Nirvana,
loves distortion, and searches for the prophet. With "She's So",
Hunters step away from the generality and move towards a fresh, modern look at
what the 80s and 90s left behind. This track has a
distinctive guitar riff, it has pressured moments, evoking the gothic styles of
Bauhaus whilst staying true to the punk genre. Theres Layered sounds and driven out duet vocals, Almeida sings: "There's
something about her, she's so.." She leaves it unanswered.
This isn't the new age of punk rock, it never left. Being perfectly honest,
Hunters have one of the freshest sounds on the punk market today. In the UK,
Savages have been taking over, don't expect the same for Hunters. Signing to Mom
+ Pop with an album lined up is enough to satisfy the hungry Hunters. Punk may
not be your thing, but give Hunters a try and your opinion of the once simplistic
genre may differ.
~Eddie
