EP REVIEW: I Found The Answers And Now I Want More – Tokky Horror

TOKKY HORROR is the latest venture from previous QUEEN ZEE frontwoman, Zee Devine. Describing themselves as a “virtual hardcore collective” is enough to pique interests all over the shop, but does the debut EP of this incredibly creative band live up to the life and attitude of the late and great QUEEN ZEE?

The five-track debut kicks things off with Girl Racer, a broken beat track with attitude-soaked vocals which sounds like a bunch of school kids have managed to hack the demo settings on an old keyboard in the music department. In a good way. It’s a chaotic endeavour which Devine and the rest aim to do – “I’ve always wanted to create music that is direct and unrelenting… I wanted to find a new way to create catharsis” says Devine.

It’s apparent that chaotic catharsis was the name of the game when making this music, but it’s not always effective. Stimulate Me sounds a bit too similar to the first track to feel properly worthy of its spot on the EP, and it’s not till Godliness that we get to hear a different side to this band. It’s a much softer sound on track three, still with the break beat in the background but with a softer vocal. It’s the highlight of the EP, and promises interesting directions for this band to venture towards in the future.

Overall, it seems this band has a lot to offer but it’s unclear whether we get what they’re fully capable of on this EP. For a band aiming to create catharsis, we can’t help but feel this sound could have been pushed even further into weirder territory. There’s acts out there like LUSTSICKPUPPY and LIGHTNING BOLT who make this kind of music but take it to extremes that are only just about hinted at on this EP. 

The retro electronic vibes are something that this band really excel at, and putting a modern stamp on it sounds both nostalgic and fun. Taking influences from the house/rave scene of the 80s and 90s, the beats are consistently energetic and uplifting, but there needs to be a bit more experimentation if they want to really reach the heights they seem to be aiming for.

I Found the Answers and Now I Want More is a solid piece of groundwork, and worth a listen, but we’re hoping for a step-up by the time the album comes around.

Rating: 5/10

I Found the Answers and Now I Want More is set for release on May 21st via Alcopop! Records.

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