The first track is a instrumental that sounded like Radiohead in the very beginning. A rather ominous sounding guitar line comes in providing melody. More guitars come in, some in harmony, some not, creating a schizo/psychedelic sound. Quite disconcerting, but still cool and unique.
Next up is "Poltergiest". The backing track has a unique sound that had me wondering, how did they get those cool sounds?... The tempo is laid back and cool guitar sounds swirl in and out of the mix. The vocals have a 90's timbre.
"Nineteen Ninety Five" has a vocal that is full of angst and emotion. The guitar solo sounds great and the rhythm guitar could've been a bit more upfront in the mix, like the solo, adding even more power to the melody.
"Gone Without Goodbye" starts off with a rather catchy lead guitar line. The verses have a retro new wave sound and the chorus' pick up with a pop punk sound. This song would be perfect for college radio. The outro repeats the catchy six string melody, sounding much like a 70's pop rock anthem.
"Mess thats Made" has a laid back groove much like Dinosuar Jr.
"Chapter and Verse" is another chaotic, guitar-based instrumental that would sound great on a horror film soundtrack.
"Deeper Into The Hold" could be described as a psychedelicized version of NIN. The vocals are backtracked and distorted over a hypnotized slow guitar groove. Lyrics come in and out of the mix further drawing you into the music. The song sounds like it could and will go on forever but it abruptly ends.
Believe it or not all the great sounds on the EP come from the talented minds of a self-described "alternative rock duo". These guys do a great job at recording multiple tracks and turning them into well composed songs that any fan of the "alternative" music genre would enjoy.
The Hovelists are an alternative rock duo based in Olean, NY, south of Buffalo. The Hovelists were formed in 2012, comprised of Chris Curcio (vocal/guitar) and Rich Nothem (vocal/bass.) For performances, they regularly use electronic drums and loops as percussion but they have also worked with several local drummers. The Hovelists most recent accomplishment is the completion of the 7i EP, that was released through Tunecore on August 25th.
Rich and Chris first met in 2006 while in relationships with each others' sisters. They first started jamming together in 2007. Previous to The Hovelists they worked in a number of local Alternative/Punk Rock bands including The Electric Sheep, Canaries in the Coal Mine, and The Filters. All of those names were inspired by Sci-Fi literature. That includes The Hovelists which is a reference to a Philip K. Dick novel “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch”.
Since their inception, The Hovelists have recorded and released seven EP's in total. All of them were recorded and produced in Chris's basement. The DIY recordings range in sound from alternative/punk rock to experimental/post-rock tracks. The 6 song EP's all follow the same format. Four standard rock/pop songs encased by two instrumentals. The lyrical content covers topics such as personal demons ,social issues and stream of consciousness. The most recent recording If You Don't EP (2014) earned a favorable response from listeners. The title track “It Just Came to Me” received airtime on some of the local college radio stations.
Rich and Chris are currently performing regionally to promote the new recording. They are also busy writing and recording for a new series of two track EP's that will be released monthly starting in January of 2016.
Check out all of The Hovelists music on their website http://www.thehovelists.com/
Special thanks to Chris and The Hovelists.
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