We love supporting local talent that has a touch of quirkiness and the balls to do their own thing no matter what. One such troupe are the “eleqtrobats” from the Belgian synthpunk outfit Hatchling. Rooted in old school pop music, synthwave, a touch of punk attitude and a whole lot of geeky, they finally released their new EP Alpha that is supposed to get you dancing and destroy everything, even without the use of heavy guitars. Their own description of the latest creation goes as follows:
Hatchling’s new EP ‘ALPHA’ is here, oozing with adrenaline and catchy as f*ck. Clocking in six tracks at 16 minutes, this fast and furious synthpunk romp is brimming with filthy synthesizer hooks, shout-along-pop and sci-fi extravaganza. ‘ALPHA’ is angry but hopeful, frustrated but witty. It’s Doctor Who, Aliens, Akira and Spaceballs all in one.
And that sci-fi extravaganza you get straight from the start where Birth provides the perfect 80’s B-movie inspired intro (do I hear a theremin-like sound in there?) for what will be a good quarter of an hour of geeking out and relentless catchiness. That intro to the album could also just as well be seen as the intro of the first “real” and title track Alpha, because the switch to that song goes so smooth and seamless that I always forget that these are actually 2 separate songs. With Alpha they continue the sci-fi feel but inserted with a heavy dose of uptempo catchiness. The thing this song immediately makes me think of, is some kitsch 80’s or 90’s theme song for a superhero in one of those classic cartoons/animations on TV back then.
That really bright, bubbly and upbeat poppy sound does seem to have a slightly dark touch to it still, just as advertised. It gives all the tracks that interesting play between opposites, keeping you on the edge of your seat at all times. Also the vocals are something interesting: usually these kind of synth wave/pop outfits go either the downtrodden way of a deep “Gothic” dungeon voice or the really over-the-top kind of smooth silken pop vocals. But mastermind Simon and his 2 girls Saida and Indira seem to have found a sort of balance between those cliché sounds. Simon‘s vocals are not exactly deep, but there’s still a dark edge there… think of a nicely sweet and fruity candy dipped in a severely bitter dark chocolate and I think you get quite close. Add to that the voices of the girls, sometimes as backing vocals, sometimes taking the lead away from Simon and you have a really cool combo.
Cosmic Dump turns up the amount of beat and adds a touch more melancholy and frustration with the world they have to live in asking to get beamed up away from this place. And I simply love the short instrumental bridge where they end up sounding like a 90’s techno artist à la Scooter. Personal highlight is definitely Eleqtrobats Are Go! though. Finally Hatchling has put music to their often used phrase, creating something you could call their “theme song” now basically. A really fun up-tempo song of which I can only imagine what kind of advertised destruction will take place by the party induced by this track! Don’t be too surprised by the way if you start singing/shouting along to the lines “Go! Destruction is creation! Go! Eleqtrobats are go!” after only hearing that chorus once before… yes, it’s damn catchy!
With Hysteresis they deliver the most melancholic track of the bunch with a beat that is a bit “off putting” with a sort of irregular tempo combined with some rather pretty synth lines. And more towards the end there’s a part that makes me think of one of the synth lines of some Rammstein song, a really lovely song that ends in a purely instrumental piece which flows perfectly into Squidbot. Basically they wrap up the EP how they started it: with an instrumental sci-fi inspired outro track. Though do I hear Pacman making an appearance in there?! If you get the physical copy of the EP, you get another dose of catchiness under the form of bonus track Holly which was released earlier this year with a video:
In any case, lately synth wave/rock/pop inspired bands have been getting quite popular (look at the French Perturbator and Carpenter Brut) and Hatchling very much fits into that setting. Mind you, they’re doing something with their own touch and signature sound by adding a punky feel, some sci-fi kitsch and a geeky pride that tries to show you that they don’t take themselves too serious or care what you think as long as you end up destroying everything with them. This is supposed to be the first chapter of the so-called “Omega”-pentalogy of albums to be released in the coming years, I can only look forward what more will get hatched out of the creative egg of these geeks… If the music sounds a bit too “light” or “sugary sweet” to you, please make sure that you catch them live some time. Experience taught me that live they’re heavy as fuck and will blow you away with their heart rhythm changing beats and never-ending energy. Eleqtrobats are go! Everything must be destroyed!
Release date: June 30th (digital)
September 27th (physical), 2018
Label: Wool-E Discs
Tracklist:
1. Birth
2. Alpha
3. Cosmic Dump
4. Eleqtrobats Are Go!
5. Hysteresis
6. Squidbot
7. Holly (physical bonus track)
