Great Haunting. Earth Tongue

Great Haunting starts with putting the listener totally on the wrong foot. 'Out Of This Hell' starts with synth pulses and a keyboard melody. And then the duo kicks in with its fuzzed laden rock music. I haven't heard it this good since Blood Red Shoes started to incorporate electronics into its music. A logical choice in order to develop, but not when you're a fresh new band releasing only your second record.

Even those who wetted their appetite on the basis of the two singles reviewed on this blog recently, may have been surprised by the opening. (Not by the way the electronics do return later in the song.) This is set right immediately. 'Out Of This Hell' is a fantastic alternative rock song for the 21st century. The sound is huge and of the kind that the alternative rock world has come to love ever since The White Stripes broke big with 'Fell In Love With A Girl'.

Since there have been dozens of duos rocking. I only have a few that I truly like. To my two favourites were mentioned above and adding The Black Keys and the first Royal Blood album, we have a new addition. Earth Tongue has delivered a fantastic new album. One for which it is absolutely forbidden to put on in the car. Before I know it I will probably be driving at top speed.

Earth Tongue is a duo from New Zealand. Gussie Larking on guitar and vocals and Ezra Simons on drums and vocals. With producer Jonathan Pearce of The Beths, and responsible for that absolutely crazy solo on 'I'm Not Getting Excited', they created the sound they were looking for. Pearce created the electronics for 'Out Of This Hell' for example.

Although there is no need to go into individual songs, what you will find throughout the album are these surprising sequences in individual songs, totally changing the mood for a short time, before that huge fuzz-psych sound kicks in once again. Like those other bands I mentioned, Earth Tongue manages to go beyond just noise songs. It plays songs that go way beyond the effect of noise. No matter who busy the riffs are Larkin plays and no matter how fuzzed up, totally accented by Simons drumming, there is a song in there, reflected in the vocal melodies. You will find yourself singing along.

Is Great Haunting a concept album? Not necessarily, as it does not have a storyline that goes from a to b, but the songs certainly have a generic theme, i.e. the haunting part. Hell, diseases, death, evil, satan, are topics that return. Earth Tongue has a story to tell.

It's been a while since a duo truly impressed me. Earth Tongue did so immediately with the two singles and the album with ease continued this impression. Earth Tongue is a band to watch. Let me end like 'The Mirror' ends: "when you cease to be", silence, at least for a very short while... See you tomorrow, same place, same time.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Great Haunting here:

https://earthtongue.bandcamp.com/album/great-haunting