Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Die Hamsters
Label: Lip Art Events
Released: 2014
Rating: 3.5/5
»Spinoff« is the first officially released document from Slovenian indie rock outfit Die Hamsters, who have been around since 2010. It’s really an EP, with 15 minutes of music and four tracks, and a sign that Slovenia is getting closer and closer to some of the sounds the big music corporations are still pushing, especially the indie, MTV-style stuff that was riding high a decade ago.
Die Hamsters come out of an alternative rock basin, but they build it on a danceable, swaying and deliberately simple rhythmic frame. Very recognizable in that sense, in the vein of British acts like Franz Ferdinand or Arctic Monkeys.
This crew of young but ambitious musicians knows how to put a song together credibly, so it grabs the listener’s attention right away, already on the first spin in the CD player. The tracks are led by an authoritative, dominant female voice, with just the right amount of pop sweetness as well as a rebellious edge, a voice charged with energy and full of dynamic color. The EP suggests that with persistence and commitment, Die Hamsters can climb higher. Especially if they manage to cobble together a well-oiled melodic hit or two on their first full-length studio debut. The band has what it takes to knock on doors abroad. Even though the group’s music doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel or spark a musical revolution, it’s infectious.
The record is nicely produced, with a good mix of organic and polished, and the building blocks of the sound are clearly highlighted and contrasted in exemplary fashion. Of course, the influences in the musical vocabulary lean on the legacy of that distant eighties post punk story, with polished musicianship. So the EP gives a nice glimpse into the musical file of a young and ambitious band that has taken its first creative steps in its career, holds your attention while you listen, and in doing so signals that a debut album is on the horizon that will be well worth listening to with interest.
Line-up
Blanka Jurič – vocals, backing vocals
Damjan Mašera – guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Matjaž Tisu – guitar
Izidor Štefančič – bass guitar
Tilen Turnšek – drums
Production
Die Hamsters, Peter Baroš & Rok Podbevšek
Track list
1. Determination
2. Pink Elephant
3. Mind
4. Today OK
