“WE COME FROM hardcore, but I don’t think of us as a hardcore band,” says Higher Power guitarist Louis Hardy. “I don’t listen to it and think this sounds like hardcore music. I just think of it as a rock band.”
One spin of the Leeds, England-based crew’s excellent new sophomore record, 27 Miles Underwater, and you’ll immediately hear what Hardy is talking about — and why their genre-defying sound has made Higher Power one of the most exciting new acts in hardcore punk. Take opener “Seamless,” for example, which kicks off with a crushing, groove-heavy riff and seething vocals before transitioning into a massive, dreamy Deftones-meets-Jane’s Addiction chorus. Higher Power explore this hook-filled, crossover sound throughout the album’s remaining 10 cuts — pushing the boundaries of traditional hardcore while staying firmly true to its spirit.
“Because [our] approach to writing catchy rock songs comes from a DIY hardcore mentality, it has a lot more integrity than just sitting down and [saying], ‘Let’s produce a big pop song… a catchy song that means nothing,’” Hardy says. “We’re so heavily invested, emotionally, and we’ve sacrificed so much to make the band work… The passion for it… everyone is living it.”
This story is from the July 2020 edition of Guitar World.
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This story is from the July 2020 edition of Guitar World.
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