There’s something so cool about American rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not even clear how they do it, but whether it’s classic stuff like Petty or more modern like The Hold Steady, it’s just got… something.
And somewhere in the middle of that comes this four-tracker from Robotic Hawks.
Opener “Andalé” couldn’t sound more American if it tried. Distilling rock ‘n’ roll into three minutes, it’s quite something. Groove, a lip curl like Elvis Costello, and a punk attitude. What else do you need?
The Hawks are flying here. “Heartbeat” has a gift for harmonies, and the solo soars. The bass anchors it—and not for nothing was it the first single here.
The band know how good this is, you can tell. Mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie (Pixies, Radiohead, Hole), it sounds like a million dollars. The slower “David Lee Roth” comes from the Heartland and from the heart.
Whether it’s from the garage, the pub, or the backroads will be down to your interpretation, but what is clear is that it’s a fabulous EP.
To underline that still further, the quite superb version of Crowded House’s “Something So Strong” manages to find something new in Neil Finn’s writing. Given that he’s the king of pop in MV’s book, that’s no mean feat.
If you call an EP “New Better Things”, it best be good. Job done, then.
Rating: 8.5/10
