Last Hyena – ‘How Soon Is Mars?’

By Dave Stewart

There are several very different sides to progressive instrumental music, all equally as impressive and indulgent as the other. One is bursting with delicate and ambient dreamscapes, weaving a pattern with a variety of sonic textures that are able to whisk you away to another world and soothe your psyche. Another is occupied by stunning musicianship and explosive tones, blasting your senses from every angle whilst blinding you with technical wizardry. Then there’s also the experimental side of things, toying with phrase lengths, time signatures, and sounds to create a palette that can be both unusual and incredibly beautiful.

Some bands sit within just one of those brackets, some dabble with a couple, some try to incorporate a bit of all three and then some. Sometimes it sounds too ambitious and doesn’t work, but when it does it’s simply magnificent and the journey that the music takes you on is one you’ll find yourself coming back to over and over again. Bristol based trio Last Hyena are a band that find themselves making music that fits that description, and their new album ‘How Soon Is Mars?’ is certainly an expedition you’ll find yourself repeating over and over again.

Their sound is one that crosses multiple genre lines, with elements of post-rock, math, alt-rock, prog, jazz, hardcore, punk and countless others all being thrown into the mix. On paper that looks like one hell of a concoction, but when you listen to the album it all makes sense, each component weaving in and out of prominence with grace and finesse.

The eight tracks on display here all offer up something slightly different but share a completely unintended characteristic – space. When writing the record, there was no direct intention of making it all tie into a theme, but when it came to naming it, the connection in the songs was clear. From the beginning of jagged and unpredictable album opener ‘Where’s Laika?’, jumping from abrasive discordant shrieks to vast stellar ambience, it’s almost as though it’s setting the scene. Taking off from Earth, rattling into space, getting to grips with your surroundings and not really knowing how to process them. And then, the journey continues.

‘Terra’ is full of rich and overlapping tones, gently washing over one another and exploring the new surroundings before rocketing into more punchy, alt-rock territory. ‘Chilton’ is another beast entirely, far more intense and punchy than the previous songs but still retaining an air of celestial intrigue and mystery as to where the rest of the record is heading. Then the bizarre but wonderful ‘Doctorpus’ spins things in a completely different direction, calmly gliding one moment and then frantically staggering the next, all leading to the albums only line of vocal – “Doctorpus, you’re just an octopus, you’ve got no arms”. Brilliant.

The genre gymnastics on show in ‘You Still Look Tired’ are seriously impressive, swaying in and out of jazz, math, prog, rock and ambient tones like child’s play. ‘Programmed To Lose’ plays a similar game, flexing more of their aggressive muscles in a remarkable and perplexing display of musical ability, theoretical knowledge and songwriting prowess. Then finally, finishing the record is the boundless epic ‘I’m Supposed To Be The Good One’, wonderfully rounding out the record by revisiting everything that preceded it and presenting in a way that feels like a natural conclusion. A truly mind-boggling and stunning piece of work.

The way this record rises and falls really adds to the expansive narrative the music takes you on. If you did find yourself drifting through space and you had a window to gaze out of, this would make a wonderful soundtrack to accompany everything that you’d witness. It’s complex, varied, occasionally bonkers and frequently stunning. If you’re a fan of instrumental prog-rock and love when music can tell a story without the need of words, this record is a must listen. A magnificent debut album.

DAVE STEWART

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