Toronto-based indie rock outfit Hooded Fang are on the cusp of releasing their 3rd album, Gravez. However, in many ways this is a first for the band as it’s the first time they’ve recorded live on the floor together and the first time with this line-up. Hooded Fang’s enigmatic album title plays well with the dark, yet sprite energy that this album exudes.
Gravez immediately kicks-off with a surf-rock meets garage-rock anthem “Graves.” It’s hard to ignore the Beach Boys influence on this track but in a much more punk-drenched way. The carefree, IDGAF “ba ba ba” towards the end is a prime example of the free-spirited fun that is to come on the rest of this album. “Ode To Subterrania” is the highlight of this album with its mind-bending mixture of genres including surf rock, post-punk, tropicalia and all with a very modern twist. Segway into the grunge rocker “Bye Bye Land,” the crooning here is heavy but the nifty guitar picking here will entrance the listener. Stepping right out of the dreariness of “Bye Bye Land” and right into the pumping sun-soaked “Wasteland”, whose title may come off as a red herring to the listener. The marching drum-like chord structures on “Trasher” and kitschy lyrics are undeniably infectious. “Genes” ends the album on an idiosyncratic note with a twist of synth, a plethora of guitar and a hypnotic bass line.
Hooded Fang has crafted an imaginative album that seamlessly ties several musical genres together piecing a cohesive and expressive album. You really can’t go wrong listening to this album, it has everything.