There once was a time when Japan was thought of as a nation of copyists, but thankfully such ideas are now outmoded and the Land Of The Rising Sun is now a hotbed of unique artists who are colouring the world with unique shades. Case in point being HYPER GAL, a pair of sonic terrorists from Osaka who take the minimalist ethos to the maximum and create soundscapes that can only be fully appreciated with open ears and open minds. Featuring nice tracks that constantly push at the boundaries of what music can be, After Image might not always be easy listening, but it is always rewarding.
Comprising of vocalist Koharu Ishida and noise artist Kurumi Kadoya on drums, HYPER GAL create a sound that is far bigger than their constituent parts and opening track ‘The Luncheon On The Grass’ is a prime example of musique concrète. An unsettling sound collage, it captures the essence of American experimental rock band the Swans at their most challenging; it seems to ululate like some strange type of alien life form as the lyrics wend their way through the song, with certain sounds brought to the fore at optimum moments, then receded at others. It is hypnotic, but not in an otherworldly way; rather, it demands your full attention, this is a type of “uneasy listening”, yet it is infinitely interesting and will reward your efforts exponentially.
On ‘RUSH’ Koharu’s vocals act like a musical battering ram to knock down the wall of your cranium; a ball bouncing perpetually between two walls, it is repeated like a mantra, so much so that it becomes part of the listener’s physiology. The greatest thing about HYPER GAL is that their approach offers them a lot of musical freedom and of the nine tracks comprising After Image no two inhabit the same sonic space, but what does unite them is a sense of invention and a desire to explore the outer reaches of that sonic space. Subsequently, the frenetic buoyancy found on tracks like ‘GHOST’ means that you will never listen to music in the same way again, even Slayer’s Reign In Blood will seem a tad tame after hearing After Image.
Stretching level’s of tolerance to the ultimate limit, HYPER GAL mess with our expectations on ‘OOPARTS’ and create a closing track that will haunt us long after the disc has stopped spinning. It will be interesting to see if the band will be able to surpass this release, but that’s a question for later, but for now it is time to embrace the extreme.
- After Image is released via SKIN GRAFT Records on 13th September 2024 (available here).
- Bandcamp | YouTube Channel
Track List:
- The Luncheon On The Grass
- RUSH
- OVER FUSSY
- Dot Dot Dot
- Unrhymed
- ATTRIBUTE
- FLICKER
- GHOST
- OOPARTS
