The whole aesthetic of The Hardly Boys and their new EP The Search for the Electric Void is like something informed by Church of the Subgenius and 1960s and 1970s science fiction and suspense TV. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the project, particularly on its single “Moving Without Religion,” has leapfrogged past the obvious industrial, noise, post-punk and psychedelic rock touchstones into its own thing seemingly born out of not wanting to sound like everything around them or what they’ve heard ad infinitum out in the world today. Hovering, cycling, menacing tones drive the song as well as vocals that catalog a journey in search for meaning without reference to established, sometimes oppressive beliefs and subcultures. Which could be seen as emblematic of the band’s approach to songwriting as its tripped out tone bending and otherworldly sound wedded to an almost lo-fi production style sets it outside too many obvious influences. The band is based out of the city that produced D.O.A., Skinny Puppy, Japandroids, Modern Creatures and Mutators and it would have been easy to fall back on any of that but fortunately The Hardly Boys have chosen a different path while not discarding the fingerprints of its influences completely. Listen to The Search for the Electric Void on Spotify and follow The Hardly Boys on Instagram linked below.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
You must be logged in to post a comment.