Brooklyn post-punk trio HYPEMOM give us a pair of noisy indie rock singles to spice up our day. Immediately on the first single SOPAT I hear the Stephen Malkmus influence with vocals delivered like giving effort or singing in key are the furthest concerns for the vocalist. Now I’d love to tell you which of the three members are the vocalist but they are listed by name on every release with no instrument or indication of what they play or do in the band. The bands motto on all social media is “Overthought and under rehearsed since 2013” and that’s something I can get behind. Both tracks just are fun and have that same appeal that early Pavement had.
On “SOPAT” b/w “Dolphin Shoals” the band sounds like they are in working towards a noisier version of what bands like Cheekface do with a little more Alt 90’s influence. The track has guitars somewhat in the vein of Sleeter Kinney’s Dig Me Out, loud, clean and angular. However it definitely has that East Coast NYC vibe to it as well. I don’t know how to describe it but if you hang out in Brooklyn long enough you’ll know what I’m talking about. It also feels like it has a healthy dose of early emo influence like Piebald or something along those lines.
Thematically, the band says their songs are about:
SOPAT: emotional growth, self sabotage, primetime network game shows, political disenfranchisement, unhealthy relationships, and Mario Kart. Side one, “SOPAT”, began as an experiment in swapping the usual willowy riffs and sauntering basslines for a more blaring, dissonant texture. Lyrically, it’s a breakup song for people in their thirties. A time when you know how you’re supposed to act, but can’t always stick the landing. When learned restraint and petty muscle memory are trading bars, ping-ponging between honest self reflection and dancing away your problems.
DOLPHIN SHOALS: tackles imposter syndrome the touch-football way. It’s the all-too-common experience of being unable to trust, appreciate, or even settle for oneself — a self that’s weighted down with snark from having aged out of Brooklyn years ago. Swaddled in sinuous guitar lines, questionable rhythm changes, and church-grade call and response vocals, it’s a full-throated commitment to false bravado. Or maybe it’s just about playing 48 races on random and hoping fate will guide you to Dolphin Shoals.
This group has a lot of potential and I’d be interested to hear their next record as it seems they have a vibrance to their sound that a lot of bands just don’t. The songs sound like a trio making exciting music without a lot of overdubs or anything that’s not just genuine and in the moment. It’s a great quality to have.