End And Means. HOWRAH

Ends And Means is HOWRAH's third album and the third on this blog. 'Self-Serving Strategies' (2018) was the first, followed by 'Bliss' (2021). The first went down best with me, but as I found the album receives some fierce competition with End And Means. Although it is always hard to compare music, as it so much depends on the moment I listen, added by the mood one is in at any specific time how music lands, repeated listening sessions do tell me something. End And Means has a consistent level of quality but more than that. The cohesion of the album takes it to another level I find. Something that the other two albums, at least in hindsight, seem to lack.

In the bio it is mentioned, I notice, that the band worked on the album together from beginning to end for the first time. This may explain the feeling I've had first just listening to the music. If one thing shows here, it is that writing, recording and playing good music has little to do with age. HOWRAH's members are all past a certain age. Then listen to how inspired Ends And Means sounds. Here's a band with a message alright.

Label mates Tramhaus may be the flagship of Subroutine Records and has still decades to develop itself, should the band do what most young bands do not do these days, have a long career. HOWRAH presents an album that is filled with glinstering alternative rock on the edge of postpunk. Alternative rock that is compared to bands at a time I did not listen to it, in the 1980s. That changed a decade later but I never went back to what I missed. There was too much to explore already.

Promo photo

Let's focus some on the album. It starts with the melodic intro of 'The Outsider', where melody meets power (chord). Singer Cees van Appeldoorn sings with a slightly lighter tone. In the year when there is real cause for doom and gloom, Van Appeldoorn lights a much needed, if small, candle. And it works.  The band creates a huge sound, there is a tremendous active drummer, a present bass player and guitars are everywhere. The sound is filled to the brim, a wall of post punk so to say. 'The Outsider' is a song that drives over you at full speed, grabbing you by the lapels, shaking you up and over, to totally undergo in other words. Only after six minutes the band lets you go.

And moves on to 'Here I Am'. Again a fairly long intro, where all band members play their role in a prominent way. It is the singer who only is a part of everything when he starts singing. As if it isn't necessary to put extra attention to him. The song has a The Cure vibe in the way the lead guitar is played, but can be put into the 80s in general, with one exception, the delay on the sound is not there. The sound is far more direct.

The quality of the first two songs is maintained with ease. There's no need to pull out any further details. One songs rocks a little more than the next, but always that melody is combined with power, creating a force that is fairly irresistible. With End And Means HOWRAH has produced a fine third album. The band is on tour until early February, so get your fill!

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to and order End And Means here:

https://howrah.bandcamp.com/album/ends-and-means