tying up loose ends
Warrington-based HUMMER began life in 2004 as S.F.R. Following a name change, line-up shuffles, and a University break, the band picked up again as a trio in 2015, releasing 2 EPs and a full-length album over the subsequent seven years. The band played their final gigs in 2022:
Work on the “Time to pack up” EP, began some 6 months on from the last gig. It contains a batch of newer songs which were only added to HUMMER’s live set in the last couple of years, so had not yet been played quite to death live or committed to any recordings previously. Think of it as just a last hurrah and a tying-up of loose ends, and hopefully, it’ll put everyone over until the reunion that may or may not happen when one or more of the band turns 50…
Butchered from promo
Gruff punk grapples with the finest traditions of UK melodic punk rock on HUMMER’s final recordings. That said, they get stuck straight in with the nippy, RANCID style of Apocalypse, all runaway bass, guitar solos, and fizzing, punk rock glee. That four-string freewheel continues through the catchy, bar-room battle of See You When I See You, sharing similar sonic territory to OUR SOULS’ criminally under-heard I Won’t Tell You The Same Lie EP. The style shifts on Fair Wind, Clear Mind to a muscular melodicism akin to later VANILLA POD, most notably in the vocal inflections, while Integrity keeps the quality high with biting vocals, and that ever-present noodly bass having the time of its life. The clumsily titled, razor-sharp anthem Hypunkrocksy shares subtle, LEATHERFACE guitar melodies with classic punk solos and vocal trade-offs, leaving the more measured Token Political Song to sign off on a subdued HOT WATER MUSIC note.
HUMMER serve up six tracks of gruff punk grit, acting as a fine epitaph for their passage through the UK punk scene. Top stuff, but one thing’s for sure: that bassist is a fuckin’ diva.
Released on February 16th 2024, digital only
https://hornhoofrecords.bandcamp.com/album/time-to-pack-up
Header photo credit: Phukin Photos
PERSONAL PUNK 