by Dan Goldin (@paintingwithdan)
There are few noise punk bands that create an incessant nature the way that Buffalo’s Alpha Hopper do. Their arty blend of genres contorts before our ears, digging and twisting from one abrasive moment to the next, their agitation always paired with hooks, as deranged as they may be. While it might not have a “pop” immediacy, their corrosive sound is still bright and accessible, poking at our spongy brains with a pointy stick and a mischievous smile. Let Heaven and Nature Sing II, their first album in nearly five years, is oddly mesmerizing, picking apart blistering riffs and pounding drums, constructing a rampant onslaught of boundless energy. Due out March 21st via Swimming Faith Records (Ismatic Guru, Razorface, Science Man), the album finds Alpha Hopper refining and expanding their sound, bringing in new influences while retaining the amorphous art punk magic they’ve developed over the previous decade.
“Razor,” the record’s lead single, is swarming with a raw detached beat and a bleeding no wave guitars, moving at its own rhythm in a mesmerizing way as the ground crumbles. It’s a chaotic song that feels impressively straightforward despite the its tendency to quake and shiver. Distorted and crackling, “Razor” opts to chop and groove as Alpha Hopper take the jittery approach to sun warped destruction, wrapping the song in a circular pattern as it detaches. From the impenetrable low end to the combustive siren yelp of Irene Rekhviashvili’s vocals, it’s a great reintroduction to the band (or an introduction for those hearing them for the first time), a song that’s delightfully grating, disarming, and oozing personality.