Hevvi Synthia, a rock trio out of Greenfield, Massachusetts, recorded their self-titled debut album Hevvi Synthia in August of 2017 and released it in December of that same year. The album was recorded and mixed at Sonelab in East Hampton, Massachusetts, and was mastered by Carl Saff. The group focuses on the “nuanced textures of melodic groove,” as they describe it on Bandcamp, along with “a sonic arsenal reminiscent of ‘70s glam gods and ‘90s grunge gangs.” The ten-track album is comprised of chunkier ‘70s-influenced “true rock” songs, along with some softer, lighter jams.
Hevvi Synthia starts off with “Crawl,” a heavy, slow, ‘70s stoner groovy track. The slow paced instrumental sets the tone for the entire textural experience that is the rest of the album. Distorted guitars and slow yet pounding and crashing drums make for a heavy, layered vibe. The next track “Need Me Too” finally introduces some vocals. The almost rock-glam vocals paired up against the heavy crashing and distortion of your typical rock instruments makes for a captivating number. The instrumentals on “Need Me Too” are that of a true, old-school rock song. Driving guitar riffs, a steady bass line, and a hard drum beat make for a great background for the passionate, yet not over the top vocals. “Slowin’ Down Fast” does almost exactly the opposite of its title. A fast paced, hard-driving rock song, “Slowin’ Down Fast” is gnarly, hair-trigger track. REDBLACKNBLUE is a soft, love-ballad-like song, with gentler, more crooning vocals and a less harsh instrumental background. Of course, the song still keeps its true-to-rock vibe as does the rest of Hevvi Synthia, yet having a slower track to lighten things up really keeps the album fresh and interesting. “The Weeds,” moves even slower than REDBLACKNBLUE. The song starts off with a beautiful, twanging guitar melody, which creates an excellent soft mood for the romanticized lyrics that go with it. The final, seven-minute track “Youngster,” begins with a deep and heavy guitar intro, only to include a bubbly synthesizer to lighten up the track (only by a little bit) to remind us that the album isn’t just hard rock. It’s all about the groovy textural quality that’s signature to Hevvi Synthia’s work. Over the course of the track, the heaviness of the guitar is consistent, including an ‘80s power-ballad style solo. The electric sounds are intermittent, coming through just often enough to give that funky feel. Hevvi Synthia is an impressive album texturally and lyrically. The group captures ‘70s rock excellently with their trippy tracks. Recommended.
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