Irish duo Hvmmingbyrd come to us with their debut EP Know My Name; released in September, the first offering from Deborah Byrne and Suzette Das sees the ladies step out from the alt-folk realm their music once occupied, in favour of some ethereal and distinctly more electronic soundscapes. What results is five tracks of promising material from a duo who, I get the feeling, are just tapping into a large amount of potential yet to be explored.
We first we introduced to Hvmmingbyrd when they released the music video for “If Love Was Enough”, where the comparisons to the likes of Massive Attack and even Lamb rang through strongly. A handle on the creation of solid atmosphere in the bag, Hvmmingbyrd landed on our radar with a solid thump – “If Love Was Enough” was a great introduction, but merely an indicator of where Know My Name would eventually head.
The EP dives into some dense synth-based textures around the “Never” mark, but knows when to pull itself back up for air. Similarly to London Grammar, our own Asta and even some of Sia’s earlier music, Hvmmingbyrd utilise space on record well and the vocals have a haunting effect as they bounce around amid the production and beat arrangements.
“Never” is possibly the most ‘pop’ sounding tune featured on Know My Name and would probably sit best alongside “If Love Was Enough” as a made-for-radio track. However, like a few moments on the EP, the vocal production felt a bit lacking. Like the ceiling to break through is there, but the vocals just miss it. An extra boost behind them and the EP as a whole would have an added level of shine to it that would be an undeniable winner.
Still, there’s plenty to like about Know My Name – especially if you’re a fan of any of the artists mentioned above. What Hvmmingbyrd have done well on this EP is demonstrate a strength in mixing between the genres they’ve dabbled in in the past, while injecting confidence in the new sounds they’re playing with now. The harmonies are sweet to the ear, while the intricacies of some of the arrangements (“Legacy”, “Wish You Well”) make you want to listen back over again once that initial playback is finished.
Having only been together since 2013 and concentrating on establishing a formidable presence for themselves as artists on the live front, Know My Name is definitely an impressive debut from Hvmmingbyrd. It’s a good introduction point for newcomers and a solid foundation to build upon.
Review Score: 7.1 out of 10.
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Know My Name is out now. Find out more about Hvmmingbyrd HERE.
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