It’s Rumble SZN, everyone! And with that comes a time to not only revisit some artists we’ve already covered here (Like in our massive Preliminary Round preview pieces that have been steadily popping up recently) but for some of those same artists to drop timely new material ahead of their showcases. Like Hudson, NH’s Robotic Hawks who have a new EP slated to arrive slightly ahead of their opening night set on the last night of the Preliminary Rounds over at Middle East Upstairs on Saturday, April 13th.
“High Maintenance” kicks it all off with some high energy as Robotic Hawks brandish their brand of Alt Americana to our collective earholes which sports Shawn Doherty’s mix of Creedence meets early Bowie (Think “Rebel Rebel”) guitarin’ and Tyler Pollard’s lively bass thump alongside Brian Sturk’s stand out sticks behind the kit as Pollard’s stories ring out vocally. “Cab Ride” subscribes to our sequencing philosophy where the opener needs to be a song that hooks you in and what comes next is the one that really makes or breaks a great record. Tl;dr- “Cab Ride” is that song.
“Further” boasts bountiful bouncy bass from Pollard and whimsical guitar riffs from Doherty as it repeatedly heads into a vibrant chorus and to finish it All... off we get Robotic Hawks’ take on the Terence Trent D’arby classic “Wishing Well”. What? Do any of you remember this record? There was so much more happening than the big single and similarly with the Hawks’ version, there’s a lot more happening than what’s on the surface. There’s Pollard’s falsetto bringing an unexpected layer of Soul to the RH sound, the percussive power of Sturk’s drumming throughout, and a crunchy finale bringing it all together with Doherty’s licks layered just right.
All Business drops on April 2nd and you can get your pre-save on now when you head here. For more from Robotic Hawks, including more deets on their upcoming showing during the Preliminary Round of this year’s Rock & Roll Rumble on April 13th at Middle East Upstairs, follow the trail of socials by clicking here, here, or here.