Labels: ash from sweat
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Always a good thing when Humble Ary have some new stuff out, and the tracks on this split 7″ are no exception. They ply their brand of tightly wound, explosive emo here, filling their songs with out-pourings of desperate vocals and thick, grooving guitars. For simple comparisons I would say the first song, “Help in Fiction” is like a mix of Policy of 3 and Twelve Hour Turn. It’s fairly slow paced and churning with the main vocals cried out and the background vocals being littered amongst to add more power to the music. It shambles along and feels like it is falling apart at the end. “Dashiki” kicks in rumbling and bubbling like Moss Icon, before it kicks things up a notch with rolling drumming amidst everything else. Top stuff.
Bailer is the name of a Shotmaker song, but they don’t sound quite as much like Shotmaker as that would make you suspect although it is an easy comparison to make. They do have the grooving emo guitar element, swaying back and forth at pace, but it’s not quite as ‘heavy’ as Shotmaker. The vocals are quite melodic at times (reminding a bit of At the Drive In). “A Different Grace” is quickfire and doesn’t really make that much impact on me, but they bring a much better effort on “Another Indictment” which has an awesome intro before it gets into gear with the groove, and the bass pushes things along really nicely. There is an awesome breakdown part with spoken vocals over atmospheric drums and echoes before it surges back again. I think if you like Shotmaker or Amber Inn then I think you will definitely appreciate the driving nature of Bailer’s music.