Artist: High Tension Title: Bully Label: Double Cross Records / Cooking Vinyl Catnr: CVCD030 Genre: Hardcore Encoder: LAME 3.100 V0 VBR Quality: 258 Kbps Avg / 44100 Hz Time: 35:00 Size: 68.05 MB Rip Date: 2022-01-29 Str Date: 2015-06-10 URL: http://hightensionband.bandcamp.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------- Tracklist: 1. Bully 3:41 2. Guillotine 3:38 3. Sports 3:04 4. Killed by Life 2:09 5. Iceman 1:16 6. Lapindo 3:47 7. Hell, Repeat 2:44 8. Take Control 5:17 9. Mass Grave 1:37 10. Static Screens 3:12 11. Lucky Country (Pt. 2) 2:34 12. What's Left? 2:01 ---------------------------------------------------------- Note: Having previously released an ARIA-nominated album, it should come as no surprise that Melbourne four-piece High Tension have been facing anticipation for a new record from their dedicated local following. Sophomore follow-up í«Bullyí» suits up and satisfies, being equally good, if not better, than its predecessor. A rock-solid offering from top to bottom, it acts as a refined, admirable work that expands High Tensioní»s territory while alternatively twisting hardcore and punk, resulting in a fun, furious ride. The whole album disperses an intense aggression throughout each song, with eponymous starter í«Bullyí» kicking it off. Even from its beginning, the release has the capacity to make its instrumentals sound like theyí»re having a nervous breakdown, crashing into each other to intentionally construct a listenable chaos. Likewise, apoplectic í«Icemaní» posits rapid guitars that play together in a blur. í«Sportsí» provides reinforcements with its razor-sharp rhythms and the ability of frontwoman Karina Utomoí»s vocals to dance between clean emotions that draw parallels to other locals Mere Women and the bite of any good screamer you can note out of the scene. Speaking of the scene, High Tension roped in both Matt Young of King Parrot and Adalita for this recording and for fans of those acts, ití»s definitely worth a listen. Even though ití»s likely that the band got a production upgrade on this LP, rest assured that these songs still sound raw and real, like theyí»re being performed in the same room as you. To High Tensioní»s credit, the sincere quality of a live show is retained in the recording of í«Bullyí». The most effective exhibition of that is on í«Take Controlí». It captures the bandí»s more experimental dynamic unquestionably well. With drums more amplified than its vocals as the song winds up, it sounds like Utomo is intending to play it as quietly as possible, creating a suspense thick enough to slice through with a blade. The power-relinquishing and vulnerable tune eventually explodes, and ití»s a fire-cracker. Interestingly, two-minute closer í«Whatí»s Leftí» shuts the albumí»s door by toying with melodic components that prompt subtle pop recollections and a high-gear angst. Though short, it encompasses what this whole album actually does; it genuinely tosses genre techniques in a blender to produce a body of believable Australian punk and hardcore. Tasty.