by Devin Birse (@devvvvi.b)
The term post-grunge is among the most maligned in recent memory. The term is often associated with Creed, Hoobastank, Nickelback and various other slightly over-hated bands that pushed grunge away from melancholic musings and towards ballads about rockstar living and good girls healing broken hearts. It's why it feels brazen for Bristol's Hypothetics to label themselves as post-grunge, and yet the description is surprisingly apt. The band treats grunge the same way the post-punks and post-rockers treated their respective genres, signaling out the core elements and discombobulating them through a hazy mix of foreign reference points. The end goal captures the same deep melancholy that lingered through the howls of the nineties, but in a language distinctly of the 2020s.
That language is what makes The Crossing such a distinct release; glimpses of 2000’s avant-folk, Radiohead-esque IDM rock and post-punk gloom all appear at various points. Barring a few instrumental tracks, Hypothetics are led by George Bailey’s swaggering vocals. Their guttural croon carries a tint of Celtic folk, lending a ghostly edge. On the doomy “Nightwalk,” the band bears some common ground with the recent Irish folk revival. Like Ethan P. Flynn and Lankum, there’s a sense of something old being resurrected in new form. To call Hypothetics folk revivalist would be inaccurate: The Crossing remains an ever-shifting affair, with glimpses of electronic ambience whirring in short bursts. The electronic glimpses help give The Crossing a sense of unity and completion, allowing it to rattle onwards through an ever-evolving palette of shredding guitars and glittering electronica.
The rhythm section of Joe Holiday on bass and Jim Wilcox on drums manage to stomp through tracks with a tightened sense of unease. On “Yarrow,” Wilcox’s drums seem to engage Bailey's voice between the beats on the chorus, while on the verse Holiday's bass snakes around them like a serpent encircling a throat. The drumming maintains a sense of steady tension that allows Bailey and guitarist Dan Pacini to play around with slicing guitar work. On “Solstice,” the album's most classically post-punk track, the pair intermix jangly strums with feedback, until moving into slicing call and response.
Hypothetics is a truly promising young band. Their sound feels distinct and malleable, bringing old melancholies to the light of day through a diverse sonic palette. The Crossing often feels like a distinct poetic world unto itself. Despite the sense of gloom and melancholy, it's one you want to dive deep into. A deep understanding of their own sound combined with confidence in it, The Crossing is a unique piece of art-rock that eagerly invites the listener to explore it.