Gracetown’s Hippo Crush is a four-piece alt-rock group that has gone through many incarnations already. Previously, we at Divide and Conquer had reviewed their album State of Confusion under the moniker Broken Sea and now the band is back with their second release under the banner Hippo Crush.
With a current lineup that includes Gave Stumpers, Nina Reissinger, Lance Callard and Carleton Freeman, the band is once more making the type of music that fans of stoner metal, ‘90s alt-rock, grunge and classic hard rock will be quite happy to see making a comeback in the form of this Aussie band’s unique blend of sounds on their latest album Grass Fed. The album opens up with “Opposititus,” where some guitars and synths strut to the start of this track. Next, some drums join in for a more full-on sound. Reissinger really shows her range here in this opener, feeling very hard rock in vibe. The way she executes her vocals and the instrumentals feed into tons of grungy energy. The sound of the piano comes in with a very melancholic groove on “What Just Happened.” Reissinger’s vocals are also somber-sounding. Some energized guitars arrive at the wake of “Hypnofied.” Reissinger’s vocals here are touched up with distortion. On “Don’t Mind Me,” more piano comes through here alongside some sparse guitar riffs. Out of this simple expanse, Reissinger’s vocals arrive. I loved how rich and emotional this piano-based ballad was. To the smattering of drums, “Wandering” comes in right away, with a straight-edged rock style that is immediate. This song proved to be very upbeat and the band shows their range with this pop rock twist. A wall of guitars impacts the sounds right from the start of “Inside Me.” The powerful and hard rock sound will reel listeners in right from the get-go. Reissinger’s vocals sound very gritty on this hard-hitting amped send-off number from the band. At the forefront of the songs on this album is Reissinger’s commanding stage presence as she brings these grunge and hard rock songs to life. From a coo to a wailing howl, her vocals can definitely hold the attention of a crowd. I was also loving the energy of the band backing her. From start to finish, the band brings in a great sound and tackles the aforementioned genres with aplomb. Here’s to hoping the band will unleash more of their sound in a follow-up release soon!
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May 2024
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