Featuring members of Dead Life Portrait and the more familiar Jairus, escucha! certainly have the past credentials of a new frontline hardcore act. But is there room? After all, this week alone I have gone through screamers aplenty and not really been impressed a great deal of what some of the underground has to offer. Thankfully though, escucha! have found just the right blend of melody, chaos and angst, and when put together it serves a veritable hardcore feast.
‘Wreck of the Good Intent‘ starts it in blistering fashion with a sublime guitar hook running throughout the 5 minute duration, culminating in a storming finish. While the first 2 minutes are concentrated on the growls of vocalist Toby Laws, the final 3 is simply a pedestal for the talents of the band as they delve into their musical draw to deliver a fantastic atmospheric close. ‘The Lure of Symmetry’ is not quite as classy but is crafted well once again while ‘Memory in Stills’ is the shortest and least impressive. ‘A Solace for the Troubled’ picks it up in the right direction again though with more melody and clever pacing taking over and we even get to hear a more soulful, gentle side to the lyrics of Laws. Surprisingly, escucha! have a lot to offer the current scene. Whether the members will be pursuing the project a little more in depth for the future is yet to be seen, but for all the hardcore heads out there, the five piece could prove an interesting little project to follow as you look for the next (relatively) big thing.
Jay