Delaware's Hive Mind are a trio of genre-bender extraordinaires, blending a totally unique stew of mechanically precise math rock, emotive screamo, and moments of utterly time-stopping psychedelic rock. Hive Mind's full-length self-titled is laughably overdue, as these songs are, for the most part, several years old. Nonetheless, the waiting and refining was well worth it, as these songs have been cooked to near-perfection over the years.
"Going (Not Knowing)" is a sweeping intro, followed by fan-favorite "Printer Paper", glowing with echoing leads and a warm, thumping rhythm section. The single "Subject to Change" is more psychedelic with its echoing chorus and sweeping phaser guitars, but equally grounding in the same crashing drums and midsy motown-esque bass as the opening tracks. It's worth note that Hive Mind are known for breaking out covers ranging from The Smiths to MF Doom to Stevie Wonder at shows, showcasing a range of influences as wide as the genre reach of their own songs.
Hive Mind has always been a balancing act, as Frontman/Bassist James Williams balances warm clean baritone and sharp tenor screams, essentially blending two distinct voices across the record. For the uninitiated, the band almost seems to have two vocalists. "The Rise and Fall of Fernando the Cat" even finds a spoken vocal sound closer to Modest Mouse for a moment, descending into a swirling, mathy psych guitar riff-laden chorus, the likes of which I would expect from Aussie all-stars Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.
"Falling Into Place" touts a smoother feel than the tale of Fernando, but no less hard-hitting, as the strings on this track are outright absurd, forming a crashing wave in tandem with the drums for the vocals to perch on top of. I could draw a comparison to Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" thumping bass and melancholic vocals just as easily as I could compare the chuggy b-section to emo champions Origami Angel's "Somewhere City", but neither would do justice to the unique work Hive Mind have done here.
It's not difficult to waste an exorbitant amount of time trying to label and categorize the incredibly fresh thing Hive Mind have done here - the better thing to do is sit down and listen to the record. There's a superb vitality to something that feels unfair to compare to anything else, and Hive Mind has that vitality in excess. The band's Self-Titled record is out on streaming now, but I'll be sure to add a bandcamp link when it's up on there as well!
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