Wish Hounds – Onlooker
Wish Hounds - Onlooker
Release Date: Out Now
It’s a privilege of a being a
blogger that I sometimes get to watch bands emerge in front of my …. ears and
Crediton quartet Wish Hounds are the latest band who have forced their way in
to my consciousness and, dare I say it, heart. For a bunch of relatively young
pups, the Wish Hounds sounds is decidedly mature as the first track of this
debut EP attests. ‘Pray for Me’ is a doomy, gloomy slice of Shoegaze meets Goth
but with a searing guitar solo and just enough of a hook to grab your
attention. On ‘Avalanche’ there’s more urgency and less introspection as they
employ a gloriously 80s guitar sound and the kind of bass rumble that the Cure
or the Alarm would have unleashed in their prime.
The second half of the EP starts
with ‘Ibadan’ which is, on the surface, a more straight-up indie rock number
but the vocals are full of early Red Hot Chili Peppers meets Simple Minds
confidence and those 80s guitar sounds leave you expecting Keifer Sutherland or
John Hughes to pop up at any moment – or at the very least a saxophone solo. Closing
out with ‘Fire Breather’, the band hit full on rock’n’roll stride with atmospheric
guitars and desperate vocals being driven along by an exceedingly funky rhythm
section. I’m not sure quite where you pigeon hole Wish Hounds which is
obviously ace but I’m going to watch on with interest as these guys are surely
destined for more interesting things than most bands can even dream of.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/WishHoundsBand/
Live Dates:
25th May – One Big Showcase @ Bearded Theory,
Walton-on-Trent