HAVVK are an alternative rock band based in Dublin fronted by Julie Hawk (vocals, bass) and Matt Harris (guitar, vocals) who combine elements of shoegaze, indie-rock, and grunge. They release their forth album this month `Time Will Kill` that chronicles the personal pursuit to reclaim control. It captures the restless feeling that life is moving faster than we can keep up, where unfinished to-do lists, lost passions, and the urge to make a real impact all collide. It`s set against a backdrop of global and national unrest and confronts the guilt and conflict of pursuing personal meaning while the world feels like it’s unravelling.
The opener `Happening Again` has shimmering guitar riffs, a pounding drum and vocals that are howled before it swings into a more rap metal, rap rock noise with questioning lyrics portraying a sense of anxiety and disappointment or disillusion. The track veers back and forth between styles as audio resonance takes over before the number fades out and into the next offering. The fast paced `On Time` is only a mere ninety three seconds long but utilises its lifespan as if there’s a time limit to part with what needs to be expressed and shared before ending abruptly.
`Bad Luck` has a pulsing beat with vocals shared atop that appear almost meditative, encouraging or counter-prompting someone with advice or guidance suggesting undertaking the opposite of what they are currently doing. We enjoy a nigh on doom like slow burn with `Crush`, a number that appears to be bursting with a kind of frustration.
`You Always` is musically lighter and felt like Wet Leg meets The Meffs, a composition that may be about deviousness. A ticking clock guides us into `The Last` with its glistening riffs, throbbing bass and thumping drum which allows a stream of consciousness relayed above with some accompanying occasional gentle harmonies. A rock out that may be about a partner or lover.
`Pick Your Poison` has a delightfully heavy sound and is slower, brooding, reflective and becomes almost anthemic as it evolves. There`s an angular or slightly off kilter texture to `Nice To Meet You` which becomes thoroughly magnetic as it progresses and develops.
`Idea 21` for me was quite dreamy with some jarring interruptions on route while `Backwards` was a melodic reflection on a relationship that seems to be heading in the wrong direction lending a feeling of anxiety and apprehension about this state of affairs.
`This Is It` closes this long player and there’s a real shimmer about it with its searching and probing lyrics. Towards the end there`s a superb line with “I want a little more time, taste, touch” wonderful stuff.
I read somewhere that HAVVK`s music was moody and jarring, heady and yet at times deeply emotional and reflective and I have to say its all that and more. There was a vulnerability to the vocals and lyrics but at the same time a real emotive depth and strength. It kind of entices and draws you in with its attracting charms and then hits you like an Iron fist in a velvet glove. You have been warned!!!
Rating 9/10
