Review: Hate it too - Gaslighting (EP)

Label: Hell for Breakfast Records

Once again I got to emphasize that it's a shame that HATE IT TOO are flying under the radar. After their stellar 2020-album "Lampshading" they dropped "Gaslighting" a few days ago. And they continue to shine! If you don't know them: Think PROPAGANDHI with more focus on melodies and Skatepunk and less focus on Metal and Hardcore. The canadians have defined their own, unique style and in 2021 they are confident as ever playing with it.

First of all I was pretty surprised that they didn't build up on the more mellow, midtempo-based songs of "Lampshading", e.g. "Cold Call" or "VDTLJ". That's what I was expecting them to do. Instead they go full force here, staying true to their Skatepunk-roots. Still they managed to up their Prog-game. Opener "Abilene" is more complex than anything from the last album, clocking in at 4:48 minutes, but still manages to stay entertaining throughout. I had a hard time enjoying it at first, especially if you compare it to the opening-trio of "Lampshading", that was catchy as fuck. "Abilene" is a courageous opener, sets the tone well for the whole EP and still delivers a haunting chorus.

A strength of "Gaslighting" is its amazing production. It's powerful, it has some edges but it's beautifully clear also, as you can hear everything that is going on, even when there is a lot going on. The guitars sound crisp, the melodies come forth perfectly and singer Marc-Antoine uses his significant voice even better than on "Lampshading". HATE IT TOO work so well together as a unit and you can feel it in every second of "Gaslighting".

Song-wise you'll get four more songs, besides "Abilene" and there's no dud to be found. "Don't even bother" shows the guys from a more aggressive side, especially at the end and the beginning of the song. "Lift off" is more playful and features some midtempo sections and melodies. Really nice stuff, especially for the diversity of the EP, but the weakest of the five songs, at least in my book. Just as I was starting to moan about missing short, energetic, catchy songs like "Spirals" or "Fallout" the next track "Harrison Ford" comes my way. It's in the fashion of the mentioned LP-songs and just a banger, start to finish. The closer "Folie à deux" is the second longest song of the record and fools us with its melancholic intro, as it's fast as you'd have expected and in HATE IT TOO's trademark Skate-Prog-style. The somewhat epic outro is a smooth way to close out "Gaslighting" on a high and unusual note.

The canadians' new record took some time to get me hooked but got me quite addicted then. These guys deserve some recognition, so click the link below, head over to Bandcamp and check them out!

Rating: 8 out of 10

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