A Promising Collection
Everything about three-piece Higher Love’s review submission is a bit DIY, from the minimalist press release to the music itself which is rough round the edges but with a pleasant overall sound. The EP kicks off with the London band’s cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring Of Fire’ which is pretty ill-advised considering that they’re a new band and presumably not hoping to make a career playing covers. Luckily it’s pretty bright and tight cover with guitarwork that doesn’t sound unlike Echo and the Bunnymen and has a certain interesting brooding twang about it. ‘Strange Little Story’ retains the same overall atmosphere of tension with jangly, nervy guitars and a fractious rhythm section, the only criticism is the bassline is slightly uninspiring and rather high in the mix which detracts from the intriguing wailing vocals.
‘Mental’ is, as the title suggests, a rather crazy and chaotic tune with wild percussion, screeching guitars and angsty hollering vocals; it’s an interesting, visceral tune that certainly captures you attention and could turn into a catchy tune with a little polishing to bring out the melody that’s lurking. Higher Love has plenty of promise when you look beyond the raw material, but they’re certainly worth a listen.