Howl – Brothers InViolence

Thu 30th Sep, 2010 in Music Reviews

Homemade videos, crazy tours, too much alcohol, house parties, being unearthed by triple j, being featured in The Age, six teenagers from Ballarat with the worst intentions and loads of potential: Howl.

Led by the dual vocal onslaught of Michael Belsar and Lachlan Morrish, the teenagers are quickly rising to prominence. Their second EP, Brothers In Violence, is going to greatly boost their rise.

Opening with bass-heavy It Was Never Fun, the finely groomed garage rockers have managed to make it over the ten minute mark with this release. Belsar and Morrish share vocal duties throughout the four songs, with fragile falsetto and violent screams interchanging on a whim. Behind the vocals – at the most noticeable level – lie Galen Strachan’s synth and the brooding bass of John Crawford. Together, they craft funky, rhythmic lines that inevitably induce dancing.

It Was Never Fun is reminiscent of British India, until the synth kicks in and Belsar’s impressive vocals brand the tune; The Only Reason That You Came and Cabin Fever sound more like ‘trademark’ Howl songs. The title track even features a rare ‘chilled out’ breakdown, before the intensity of guitars, synth, drums and bass all hectically clash.

The sight and sound of the sextet is a strange one: polished yet punky, with loads of attitude. Brothers In Violence certainly adds to this image, with the punk attitude and polished recordings combining perfectly. The overriding feeling induced by Howl is that they could easily play a rockin’ house party in your backyard. Brothers In Violence would sure be a great soundtrack to that party.