T. Hanks: Lomma
Updated: Feb 3, 2022
8/10
This single from up-and-coming band Lomma is packed full of energy, combining a solid rock backing with a sixties-style psychedelic throwback, giving us plenty of catchy tunes while they’re at it. Consisting of two songs, T. Hanks and News Flesh, both show a band with a lot of ideas and potential, having consistent songwriting and the showmanship to match.
T. Hanks starts with a grunge-inspired power chord riff and stately-paced vocals, preparing for the sonic boom of the chorus - awash with psychedelic echo and electric guitars. It’s chaotic, melodic and prioritises the overall sound above the lyrics, which mainly just work towards poeticising their dire living arrangements:
Plastic wrappers on the floor
Dented drywall from the door.
Hard ground I lay upon.
Everything I have is gone.
‘Dented drywall’ especially packs a poetic punch which you've just gotta love. Admittedly, it’s difficult to get much more out of the lyrics than a general impression of deeper emotion elsewhere, but the quality of the music more than makes up for that.
The chords are bright and poppy, going more for a sixties/Britpop flare. Bluesy and modal jumps manage to keep changing the harmonic backing, adding to the whole LSD-inspired experience of not being sure of your surroundings. News Flesh carries on this tradition, with its declamatory verse melody and jumpy chorus line seeming stuck somewhere between punk and The Beatles.
Again, some of the lyrics feel a bit throwaway (rhyming ‘God’ with ‘Todd‘ is an interesting way to follow up the Almighty) but it doesn’t matter. It’s music for fun that hints at deeper emotions instead of feeling the need to explain them. It's part of the charm with stuff like this, something you don't have to think about in order to feel and understand. Whatever it is, we’ll take it gladly.
If you think melody has died in music recently, give these fellas a try. Songwriting is the number one priority but they don't slack off on the production or arranging roles, even allowing themselves to get a bit chaotic at times when it suits the style. See what you think. An album’s bound to come soon if they keep going on like this.