We're always on the lookout for artists to follow, artists to champion, and
artists to critique - however fit. Sometimes artists come to us, and we find
these to be on two levels of a pyramid: the foundation artist, just starting out
searching for feedback / coverage (such as this review of Human Colonies,) and
the established artist, looking to spread their wings and take their music to a
wider audience through the words and legitimate opinions of those here at MRD.
We cherish our Discovery's, taking every request, every email very seriously as
if it was a 14 year old Bob Dylan, or even a nine year old Justin Bieber. The possibilities
of the music industry are endless, and it's our job to open the doors - close
some doors, and push whoever it may be out of the starting gate.
Human Colonies came to us with a request, and after listening through their
debut demo EP - simply titled Demo EP, it was worth giving them a
write-up. These four gazers are Italian born, and focus on the heavier guitar
drones of 80s / 90s alternative past. You can definitely hear the Sonic Youth influence
gushing out of the rhythm guitar, with a Slowdive / Galaxie 500 ethereal feel
on vocalists Giuseppe Mazzoni reverberated expressions.
Does it help that I was listening to Slowdive before discovering Human
Colonies email? Yes, Yes, Yes, of course it does. There's something so
untranslatable about the email hive mind - planning a day of dream pop shoegaze
can only go well when an Italian unknown four-piece steps up with a sound
influenced by the likes of: "My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, The
Jesus and Mary Chain, Slowdive." It's rare, but it does happen
from time to time. Human Colonies are late to a genre that was never popular
even in its hay day. It was taken over by a broader popular alternative rock in
the States, and a certain post-mod type of popular alternative rock in the UK
with the genre 'britpop'. Though artists like The Verve were born out of
shoegaze / dream pop, and many modern artists are taking influence from these
catastrophically emotional artists from the age of acclaim. Most tend to blend
it with krautrock, psychedelic rock, or even pop - but a straight up shoegaze /
dream pop hybrid can still be accessible, interesting, and innovative in
2013.
"Hey You" isn't the spotless, clean track Human Colonies intend it
to be, but without all the skin and make-up, "Hey You" rocks. Forget
the clear cut studio recordings - this is the intended sound of Human Colonies,
and it's the sound that they will utilise as they progress their way in to the
future. It's styled on the soothing shoegaze associated with Ride and Slowdive,
rather than the heavier and abnormally distorted artists. The drums have been
produced well, something strange for a demo recording. The soaring layers of
guitar also stand out as the lo-fi aspect of Human Colonies wares off
completely, and the full picture is printed right in front of your eyes. It's
not a portrait of a happy face, it's something blue. "Hey You" is
just like discovering that old Ride album (Nowhere) in a 2010 /mu/ share
thread - it's image telling a story with colours, and it's music filling in the
gaps for which the audience can share emotions with.
~Eddie Gibson
