One of the best bands Perth has to offer, HYLA have upped the ante for their latest EP Fever Calls Late. The brilliant guitar work and hazy vocals are magic.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; Perth know how to produce a damn fine rock band. It has to be something in the water, and the bread, and the beer, because each of these bands have a ridiculous knack for pumping out quality tunes drenched in the sweat of grunge and prog rock without feeling stale or contrived. This is something HYLA have done well since forming last year, the foursome steadily developing their familiar droning rock on the verge of dream pop to the point where we arrive to their latest EP Fever Calls Late.
It’s an interesting image to put into the title of your EP and it’s one that carries through the recording. It’s not a fever that would evoke feelings of sickness but one that speaks to the idea of being overcome with a somewhat overwhelming force. That’s not to say HYLA have created something that is aggressive or consuming in anyway. Fever Calls Late is an EP that wraps itself around you, it envelops your consciousness to the point where you know nothing else.
This can be attributed to their trademark droning sound. The guitars and vocals wash over, no, annihilate you like a tidal wave. The two together is an unstoppable force of nature, and it’s good to see the band turn it loose. Closing track Come Find Us is a testament to this as the guitars flourish and dance while the vocals remain intense yet aloof in it’s droning quality. It’s a fantastic atmosphere they have curated, and one that is present across the entire EP.
Which in a way speaks to the sense of freedom on Fever Calls Late. There’s a devil may care attitude that is prevalent on the EP, reflective of the no fuss attitude the band took with recording. For one thing the EP was recorded at the band’s house, affectionately known as the Pinkeye Palace. After 95% of the recoding was done at home the boys went to Sumo Sound Studios for a week to give the EP some finishing touches.
Speaking to bassist Rob Stevens it is revealed the band chose to record the EP quickly to capture the best spirit of the music:
“We make a conscious decision to not spend too much time on takes (most are complete band passes) because we try not to stew on it like that. I guess it just comes from the fact that whenever we talk about recordings we love, it always seems to be the early hairy recordings that we dig the most. Passover smokes every Black Angels album since that one, you know? Lazer Guided Melodies or Purephase smokes Ladies and Gentlemen, Psychocandy is the ultimate recording of Jesus and the Mary Chain“.
Fever Calls Late is an exciting and engrossing EP. The hard rock and dream pop elements have been married incredibly well. What the band hinted at with early single The Thousands has bloomed into an EP that is brimming with a fun and laid back spirit. It’s a great EP, and one that no doubt will be even more enjoyable witnessed live.
