"Four gentlemen, born raised on a diet of anthemic '90s rock and artistic British gloom...". Right, well half the world has been dipping into '90s rock for inspiration recently, but artistic British gloom? Weren't the '90s all Britpop fun and overly cheerful annoying guitar bands? Well the mainstream was, but speaking as a huge Spiritualized fan I'm more than qualified to know what that decade was really like. It did, after all, encompass my entire teenage years. Connecticut band Head with Wings aren't a cheerful bunch, that much is instantly obvious, although the British element to their music is smothered by the American rock aspect. They're not as alternative as some of the bands of that generation who get hailed as pioneers today, in fact songs like 'Time Will Never Leave Me Be' are closer to the US hard-rock scene than anything else.
Really the sounds on 'Living With Loss' are concise and brutal mutations of post-rock. That spirit is here, but the guitars are allowed to crunch, as heard on 'Humble Beginnings', and metal fans may find an attraction here, but as for your average indie-rocker, the structures and reluctance to follow patterns will maybe be the EP's saving grace. They don't descend into hard-rock parody that we thought we'd got rid of about a decade ago, they keep things tasteful and have their own ideas. Perhaps the atmospheric touches to 'Harboring The Disease' might be a more individual future direction; that song is certainly more diverse. Likewise closer 'For When You're Gone' takes a slightly more experimental and atmospheric route. It's probably these two songs that are the high points here and set the band apart from the conventional hard-rock pack.
Head With Wings' website
Stream or buy the EP
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