Album Review

The Hickey Underworld – I’m Under The House, I’m Dying

• 23rd Oct 2012

The Hickey Underworld is Belgium’s leading post hardcore band – not that I could name you another one, to be honest. The band takes its name from a song on the album Plays Pretty for Baby, by American post-punk rockers Nation of Ulysses. So now you know.

It’s a couple of years since the eponymous debut album that brought The Hickey Underworld to the attention of those outside their homeland, and now the foursome return with a second album. This one is full of pounding drums, grungey guitars and screamed vocals, much as you might expect. But it also has flutes, a slow track and some unusual song titles. And then there’s a bonus final track called Hertenwandel (it seems to translate as Deer Walk), which kicks in after six minutes of silence.

It is rather odd that the album opens with a track called Untitled when you see the invention of some of the others. This one starts with indie style jangling guitars before quickly turning hardcore, complete with full scale screaming vocals. The next few tracks are really more of the same with the guitars heavy and the drums fast while the vocals screech and growl. Whistling, Year Of The Rat and Thierry do little for me.

The Frog, released as a single, changes the pace a little with a bass heavy and slightly slower track. It plods a little but does at least have audible lyrics along with some great guitar work. And then Cold Embrace has the flutes in an opening fifty seconds of soft music which has an undercurrent of something nasty. Sure enough the almost inevitable explosion occurs and the hardcore sound is back.

The slow Martian’s Cave offers up something very different with its almost psychedelic sound and spaced out lyrics. It’s a rather odd song. Overfriend takes us back to hardcore territory before Pure Hearts In Mud slow things down a little. This one has much more passionate lyrics and works well. Space Barrio is a decent rocker before the album ends with the title track, which is fast and heavy.

This isn’t an album that I will be listening to much in the future. There are a few good songs and some interesting variations on it, but the main hardcore theme offers little different from many other bands. Those who know far more than I do about hardcore, Belgian or otherwise, might disagree of course.