Music / Features
Track by Track:
HOON - HOON 2.0
HOON - HOON 2.0
Currently in the midst of a run of shows across the east coast in support of their new EP HOON 2.0, we caught up with Wollongong psychos HOON to delve into their latest offering of fried garage-punk chaos.
Since forming in 2014, garage-punks Hoon have been steadily tearing it up around the country, blasting audience with their frenzied noise and raucous live show. Over the years, they’ve toured intensively around Australia, released their debut album HOON, and even hosted their own festival in their hometown, and now they’re back at it again with the release of their latest EP HOON 2.0 last month.
Explosive from start to finish, the EP is a masterclass in controlled chaos. Powered by a careening drive, HOON 2.0 is all blistering guitars, pummelling drums and ruthless vocals, each line delivered through frontman Daniel Breda’s caustic yelp. Lead single ‘Partner In Crime’ kicks things off into a wall of fuzz, the band sprawling over an unrelenting backbeat - a perfect introduction for the mayhem that is to come. ’Stake To Burn’ follows up with some wild energy, blasting us with a minute of fervent pandemonium, ‘Is There Something I Missed?’ is a scuzzy sprint of a song that still manages to serve up some of the EP’s strongest grooves, while ‘Smell Of Success’ leans into the band’s heavier influences with its sludgy bass, angular riffs and howled vocals.
Overwhelmingly volatile and relentless, yet thrilling all the same, HOON 2.0 is an incredibly wild ride, with HOON grinning evilly from behind the wheel as we hold on for dear life. To dig a little deeper into the madness, we got in touch with Daniel to find out the stories behind each of the EP’s songs.
Explosive from start to finish, the EP is a masterclass in controlled chaos. Powered by a careening drive, HOON 2.0 is all blistering guitars, pummelling drums and ruthless vocals, each line delivered through frontman Daniel Breda’s caustic yelp. Lead single ‘Partner In Crime’ kicks things off into a wall of fuzz, the band sprawling over an unrelenting backbeat - a perfect introduction for the mayhem that is to come. ’Stake To Burn’ follows up with some wild energy, blasting us with a minute of fervent pandemonium, ‘Is There Something I Missed?’ is a scuzzy sprint of a song that still manages to serve up some of the EP’s strongest grooves, while ‘Smell Of Success’ leans into the band’s heavier influences with its sludgy bass, angular riffs and howled vocals.
Overwhelmingly volatile and relentless, yet thrilling all the same, HOON 2.0 is an incredibly wild ride, with HOON grinning evilly from behind the wheel as we hold on for dear life. To dig a little deeper into the madness, we got in touch with Daniel to find out the stories behind each of the EP’s songs.
Partner In Crime
The track is just three and a half minutes of unrelenting guitars and pummelling drums. Lyrically, it is kind of self referential, kind of observational, and overall, a totally bitter commentary on alcohol and drug abuse. It’s a fun track to play live when you’ve had your fair share of the rider.
Habit Hope
‘Habit Hope’ is my personal favourite off of this EP. It’s peculiarly uplifting in the most melancholic way, and it just pumps in a repetitive fashion, exactly like what it’s about which is making music, art or participating in any creative industry. For me, the track jumps through traditional views on creativity or creative output as a commodity and all the negativity around identifying success or failure within that. It just acts as a bit of a reminder to not get hung up on desiring things and stifling yourself, opposed to doing what you want regardless of whatever you or others may perceive as success.
Stake To Burn
‘Stake To Burn’ is pretty well the most abrasive and destructive track we’ve ever done. It’s a total trainwreck of a thing that basically sounds like an actual mental breakdown. Short, sweet and delectably psychotic.
The track is just three and a half minutes of unrelenting guitars and pummelling drums. Lyrically, it is kind of self referential, kind of observational, and overall, a totally bitter commentary on alcohol and drug abuse. It’s a fun track to play live when you’ve had your fair share of the rider.
Habit Hope
‘Habit Hope’ is my personal favourite off of this EP. It’s peculiarly uplifting in the most melancholic way, and it just pumps in a repetitive fashion, exactly like what it’s about which is making music, art or participating in any creative industry. For me, the track jumps through traditional views on creativity or creative output as a commodity and all the negativity around identifying success or failure within that. It just acts as a bit of a reminder to not get hung up on desiring things and stifling yourself, opposed to doing what you want regardless of whatever you or others may perceive as success.
Stake To Burn
‘Stake To Burn’ is pretty well the most abrasive and destructive track we’ve ever done. It’s a total trainwreck of a thing that basically sounds like an actual mental breakdown. Short, sweet and delectably psychotic.
Hold My Head
When you’re anxious and stupidly uncertain about reality or what’s going on and you just need some kind of nurturing from a friend or pretty well anything similar. Yeah that. It’s real up beat with a repetitive dialogue and deluded rationale with an inability to draw conclusions. That’s how we felt writing the song too. We couldn't find a conclusion so we just stopped writing it, took it for what it was and had a beer about it. It never needed anything more and I think it’s perfect the way it is.
Is There Something I Missed?
Definitely the most dynamically structured song and the most exciting track to play live from this EP. We’ve been doing it live well before it was recorded or released and it seems to excite us which is generally pretty nice. Lyrically, it’s just a bit obscure and i don’t think it’s about anything at all. I can’t really remember the clear intention of it exactly or if it really would’ve had any intention to begin with. To me, it’s a bunch of mangled words with similarly sounding syllables and successive rhymes. I don’t know, you decide.
Smell Of Success
We’ve accidentally had a bit of a slow-ish doom inspired track in each thing we’ve released so naturally this EP would need one too. ‘Smell Of Success’ is a little bit droney, a little bit gloomy and unintentionally sassy with an ending to tear your throat out. One of those tracks that is hard to come back from, so if we haven’t played it first, it’s not coming.
Ain’t It Funny
‘Ain't It Funny’ is an aggressively tongue in cheek little end to the EP. The verses are, I guess, progressively ambient with sarcastically phrased vocals; before being reeled in for a heavy chorus. The track’s lyrics kinda look at law enforcement, those who enforce it, and the cyclic nature of its reoccurring victims.
When you’re anxious and stupidly uncertain about reality or what’s going on and you just need some kind of nurturing from a friend or pretty well anything similar. Yeah that. It’s real up beat with a repetitive dialogue and deluded rationale with an inability to draw conclusions. That’s how we felt writing the song too. We couldn't find a conclusion so we just stopped writing it, took it for what it was and had a beer about it. It never needed anything more and I think it’s perfect the way it is.
Is There Something I Missed?
Definitely the most dynamically structured song and the most exciting track to play live from this EP. We’ve been doing it live well before it was recorded or released and it seems to excite us which is generally pretty nice. Lyrically, it’s just a bit obscure and i don’t think it’s about anything at all. I can’t really remember the clear intention of it exactly or if it really would’ve had any intention to begin with. To me, it’s a bunch of mangled words with similarly sounding syllables and successive rhymes. I don’t know, you decide.
Smell Of Success
We’ve accidentally had a bit of a slow-ish doom inspired track in each thing we’ve released so naturally this EP would need one too. ‘Smell Of Success’ is a little bit droney, a little bit gloomy and unintentionally sassy with an ending to tear your throat out. One of those tracks that is hard to come back from, so if we haven’t played it first, it’s not coming.
Ain’t It Funny
‘Ain't It Funny’ is an aggressively tongue in cheek little end to the EP. The verses are, I guess, progressively ambient with sarcastically phrased vocals; before being reeled in for a heavy chorus. The track’s lyrics kinda look at law enforcement, those who enforce it, and the cyclic nature of its reoccurring victims.
Have a listen to HOON 2.0 above, and catch HOON on their 'Partner In Crime' Tour over the next few weeks.
