Naturals - Hive

  by Keith How

published: 5 / 2 / 2016

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The Naturals emerge from Bristol’s underbelly via the wonderful Howling Owl label with eight finely honed offerings to gladden the heart. In many ways there is much that is familiar in the Naturals' sound. There are nods in many directions, which extend from Joy Division’s skeletal, dark and brooding sound to the sonic atmospheres of Mogwai. The Naturals, however, while paying attention to the past, have moved on. This band have spent more than a few years developing a style and sound of their own and now unleash the fruits of their labours into the world. 'Cold People' is a prime example of the band's superb textures of pounding bass and industrial noise, but is underpinned by a minimal yet effective drumming. The treated vocals almost hide away in the mix and have a mantra-like feel. One of the joys of 'Hive' is its diversity of sound. 'Cauldron' is a behemoth that broods away. It is dark and menacing with a pulsating beat that increases in tempo as the track progresses. I hear shades of Rick Wakeman’s classic cascading keyboards from 'Fragile'-era Yes as the track fades out. Make no mistake. We are in prog-rock territory but in a most contemporary fashion. Having been around for a decade it comes as no surprise that this band know their stuff. Opener '2HGS' has beautifully layered vocals before a skull crushing beat hits you like a hammer. 'Infinite Eyeball' follows on, a relentless animal with a throbbing bass and treated vocals. Some mad scientist is messing with the electronics. Did they not notice? Despite the desire to pigeonhole the Naturals, their ability to lead the listener off the beaten track without a map leaves you in undiscovered country. No more so than the closing track, 'Sum'. A spooky wail leads into a remorseless throbbing bass and more electronics from outer space, which bleep and pop in and out of a dark atmosphere that is full of light and shade. House music for a new era? 'Hive' is a majestic collaboration of sounds from a future world where industrial sounds and dub have made love and the outcome is this intense but ultimately prophetic body of work. Hats off to the folks at Howling Owl for unleashing the Naturals into 2016.

Track Listing:-

1 2HGS
2 Infinite Eyeball
3 Axe
4 Module
5 Cold People
6 Cauldron
7 It's Teeth
8 Sum

Band Links:-

http://www.thenaturalsmusic.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/The.NaturalsHQ/
https://twitter.com/naturalsmusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/thenaturalstube
http://thenaturals.bigcartel.com/
http://www.songkick.com/artists/162488-naturals

Label Links:-

http://www.howlingowlrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HowlingOwlRecords/
https://twitter.com/howlingowlnoise
https://www.youtube.com/user/HowlingOwlRecords
https://plus.google.com/114265896723379352028
http://howlingowlrecords.tumblr.com/

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