Do you like riffs chunkier than a Fat Bastard Convention, with drums that kick like a drunken Jackie Chan and basslines that roll like a thunderstorm? Then That Goes On There by Hello Enemy is the album for you.
From the opening track Husbands and Knifes to the closing salvo of Through The Flame, Hello Enemy rarely put a foot wrong across the 12 songs on offer. It is – at times – both a riotious rock and roll record and a deeply dark introspective look at the human condition, all wrapped up in a band who embrace their influences but refuse to be limited by them.
There are the obvious grunge movement throwbacks to the likes of Alice in Chains – always a winner in my book as I fucking love that band – but I also hear a lot of 10 Minute Warning running though the veins of Hello Enemy, though without all the political overtones that band had. That’s not to say that Hello Enemy don’t have that in their locker, as Loss Overload proves they do, but a vast chunk of That Goes On There seems to be more a study of personal loss and struggle than it does about global failings.
Tracks such as I’m Fine and Valerie showcase these emotions brilliantly, yet there is still a defiance to Hello Enemy that says “Fuck you. If I’m going down, I’m going down singing”, shown to perfection with my favorite blast In A Spin, something that feels like a two minute and fifteen second middle finger to the world.
One of the best, and at times worst, parts about this job is getting sent new bands, artists, singles, and albums to review. Truth be told, it’s a bit of a lottery and I get as much shit as I do silver, but when a band comes into my life like Hello Enemy – a band I hadn’t heard of before yesterday at my time of writing this – it makes all the worth while. That Goes On There is a brilliant record and if you like you rock to fucking roll then Hello Enemy are for you.
RATING: 4 OUT OF 5
- 0: Fucking Shit
- 1: Shit
- 2: Not Bad Shit
- 3: Pretty Good Shit
- 4: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
PRESS SOURCE: Election Funeral Records.
