photo by Rob Watts; photo courtesy of Hobo Chang

by James Morris, Contributing Blogger

EP Review of Hobo Chang: Clockwork Monster

Hobo Chang, a band from North East Essex in the UK, are releasing a new EP on the 29th November. When I reviewed their previous album, Beast in 2017, I summed it up as a “hypnotic and swirling sonic landscape with a vaguely disturbing mood.”

This new EP continues in the same vein. Apocalyptic, bedsit rock with a heavy dark melancholy hanging over it, like a psychedelic, indie shroud.

image courtesy of Hobo Chang

The songs, “Clockwork Monster,” “Nightcrawler,” “Borrowed Time,” and “Where is Your God Now,” are four tracks of intense, moody prog rock in the trademark style you would expect from the band.

No one song stands taller than another, instead they all co-exist, increasing in their dark mass, like the gravitational pull of a black hole.

If you are a fan of Hobo Chang and the music they produce then you will be extremely happy to once again be immersed in the darkness of this new music which carries all their signature, experimental, musical hallmarks.

Keep up to date with the band on social media or on their website: Facebook @hobochang; www.hobochang.co.uk; hobochang.bandcamp.com

photo by Tom Eyers; photo courtesy of Hobo Chang

by James Morris, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Hobo Chang: Beast

cover artwork by Paul Rumsey http://www.paulrumsey.co.uk/; image courtesy of Hobo Chang

Hobo Chang are a band from North East Essex in the UK and comprise of Fiona Harmon, Nick Munt, Phil Pain and Andrew Kearton. Together on this album release Beast, they have forged a sound like an illicit affair between ’70s prog rock and its snarling New Wave nemesis. There is a darkness and underground mood to the album. A swampy, lo-fi vibe creating a hypnotic and swirling sonic landscape with a vaguely disturbing mood that matches the album’s artwork of a struggling bull in a straight jacket. Fiona Harmon, the lead singer, has a voice that conjures up an intriguing crossover between Siouxsie Sioux, Dolores O’Riordan, and Cerys Matthews. Generally, the vocals are placed low in the mix and become a layer of texture within the music; an ethereal ambiance, like a sea washing against the shore. The band describe their sound as “a dark psychedelic funky train ride, experimental, apocalyptic and soulful with their roots in blues, jazz, reggae and the good bits of rock.”

Beast is a DIY approach to making albums. Only available as a download album through the band’s Bandcamp page, it is an indicator of the more accessible and modern way for bands to release and promote their music without the restricting, traditional expenses.

photo by Stuart Armitage; photo courtesy of Hobo Chang

The album is a dark, enveloping set of 10 songs. Not much light and shade within its tension, but I found it a fascinating listen and enjoyed the compelling journey of discovery. They have been getting many positive endorsements including musical poet John Cooper Clarke who said, “They’re a fantastic band, one of the great unsigned; I love them.”

You can catch the band live in the UK on the 28th May at Cosmic Puffin Festival or on 7th July at the 3 Wise Monkeys in Colchester. (Those are the dates currently listed on the “Gigs” page on Hobo Chang’s website; check back for others as they’re added.)