EP REVIEW: Jumping/Dancing/Fighting – Hammok
Chances are you’ve probably got most of your end of year choices wrapped up by now, but if you are still looking for a shout for ‘best debut’ then you could definitely do with holding out until you’ve heard Jumping/Dancing/Fighting by HAMMOK. Aiming for a wonderful bullseye right at the point where hardcore and noise rock start to overlap, the debut EP from this young Norwegian trio hits the mark with striking accuracy considering it’s their first substantial release.
The defining trait and arguably biggest selling point here is urgency. With seven tracks crammed comfortably into 17 minutes, this EP whistles by so fast you’ll probably feel the need to listen to it at least twice through every time you come around to it. Only one song manages to scrape anywhere past the three-minute mark, and even though a lot of the elements the band rely on here – angular guitar lines, thick weighty grooves, rapidly shifting ideas – are exactly where you’d expect to find them, Jumping/Dancing/Fighting never struggles to exhilarate.
It helps as well that there’s a strong dynamic balance here. Hope (Intro) reveals an impressive patience, the band largely holding fire until the last 40 seconds to make the pay off all the more satisfying. Elsewhere, Machine Gun taps into a more expansive and atmospheric edge, while penultimate track Smile offsets excoriating chaotic hardcore with shades of moodier post-punk to ear-threatening effect. Of course, a record this short doesn’t exactly need loads of light and shade to be effective, and yet its presence here only heightens HAMMOK‘s ability to put your hairs on end when they do turn the fury up to 11.
Speaking of fury, it would be a shame not to highlight the performance of the band’s absolutely raging vocalist, whose name appears to be frustratingly absent from any promo materials or socials. Whoever they may be, they’ve got a proper scorching scream that recalls plenty of someone like Keith Buckley of EVERY TIME I DIE or Josh Scogin of THE CHARIOT, especially when paired with the mathy stabbiness of standout tracks like J.D.F. and Nosebleed. One might argue that it isn’t the most unique vocal in hardcore, but their delivery of memorable hooks like “It’s ok to be dead inside” and “Put a smile on my face” still goes a long way to helping this release leave a lasting mark.
And ultimately all this is just the beginning for HAMMOK. As debuts go you couldn’t possibly ask for more – except, of course, a swift follow-up. The timing of this release might send it flying under a few radars, but a band this raucous and this good will be hard to ignore for long.
Rating: 8/10
Jumping/Dancing/Fighting is set for release on December 9th via Loyal Blood Records.
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