A multi genre melting pot of influences from Cali rock band Hyacinth.
A still growing band from northern California, I only recently discovered rock group Hyacinth after actually meeting a few of the band members in vocalist Karl, and guitarist and primary songwriter Gerardo, while seeing one of all of our favorite bands, Issues, perform one of their last ever shows during their farewell tour at the House of Blues in Anaheim CA. Just like the act we were seeing, both Karl and Gerardo have a vast degree of musical influences in their respective talents, across so many genres, and it becomes apparent the more you dive into their work.
With their first song on the EP, Guilt, you immediately get the sense that this isn't just your run of the mill local band. Gerardo has expressed being a lyricist, songwriter, and multi instrumentalist for over a decade, and it shows, starting of with intricately designed melodies that really sound reminiscent of post-hardcore heavyweights like Dance Gavin Dance. Karl has been influenced heavily by R&B, and you can tell when you hear him singing, as the name suggests, very rhythmically and bluesy, belting the higher notes on the track with a ton of power and emotion behind it. The next tracks, Too dependent and Caderas, are more progressive post-hardcore tracks with a ton of Latin influence in them, specifically in the instrumentals, the second song of the two even including an acoustic breakdown with a very Samba influenced guitar groove. It's on tracks like Caderas, where they aren't afraid to experiment and push their own boundaries, that Gerardo's songwriting abilities really shine in a unique way. I Don't Know, the next song on the EP, is probably the weakest song on the EP, and while it's not my favorite work of theirs, it's still a pretty solid addition, a more traditional, albeit somewhat formulaic post-hardcore song very similar to bands like Pierce The Veil, and again, Dance Gavin Dance, still with very well performed guitar work, and the vocal work is still just as excellent, really showing that Hyacinth at their worst, are still pretty damn good. The second to last song, Your Friends, is hands down the best song on the EP in my opinion. It has a very jazzy vibe to it, sounding very similar to alternative and Indie bands like Built to spill, but still retaining some of the heaviness and technicality in the instrumentals that keep it under the post-hardcore umbrella. With a very groovy bass line providing a strong backbone behind very melodic vocals, this has a fun dancy and sing along vibe to it, and the song ends on some really cool vocal harmonies that further set this song apart, easily one of the most intricate and complex songs across the whole project in terms of songwriting and production. The last song Apology, and also the heaviest song on the EP, is a great track to wrap up with, featuring guest vocalist Pardees Ali Fayed, the vocal work is simply haunting, the meatal-core style riffing, which immediately brought me to that hyper melodic era of metalcore a la I killed The Prom Queen and early Underoath, instantly makes you want to head bang, and overall this song just goes to highlight really the two biggest things that set Hyacinth apart from their contemporaries, and that's a willingness to experiment sonically, and intricate and well thought out songwriting.
Hyacinth is a band that is very transparent about wearing their influences on their sleeves, but they do so in a fluid blend that puts their own unique spin on the post-hardcore and alternative scene, avoiding sounding like a carbon copy of any genre mainstays, and I can't wait to see them inevitably explode onto the scene in a big way! I heavily recommend checking out their music further if you like very progressive and forward thinking rock.
8.5/10
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