Rare<\/i> is an album that was born after Myrtle Beach, SC hardcore outfit Hundredth had\u2014in frontman Chadwick Johnson\u2019s words\u2014 \u201cdrained their \u2018hardcore\u2019 vein\u201d on the previous record, Free<\/i>. However, for a band seeking a new path, rather than seeming lost, Hundredth are steadfastly focused and cohesive on this transitional record.<\/p>\n
Rare<\/i> has a mellow shoegaze-influenced sound, which is starkly divergent from what had been up until Free<\/i> Hundredth\u2019s core musical style. This sound is very specific, having an eighties Gothic rock sensibility with moody but melodic guitars. When these guitars erupt into violent chords, they don\u2019t sound heavy or gushing, but rather like a serene mist of noise. The drums have a feisty pep, bordering on the tenacity of industrial rock percussion, even sounding like drum machines at times. With this rhythmic intensity and a musical moodiness that\u2019s enshrouded in melodiousness, Rare<\/i> resembles the tenebrous rock music of The Sisters Of Mercy or (The Sisters\u2019 offshoot band) The Mission UK that can be danced to.<\/p>\n
Johnson sings words like a shoegaze singer and can barely be understood. Although his shyness suits the overall atmospheric feel of Rare<\/i>, it is also prone to getting monotonous.<\/p>\n
This monotony can be extended to the music as well, as Hundredth are laser-focused on this new musical direction, to a fault. And in an album where maintaining a specific ambience is favored over creating distinct hooks or taking musical detours, the songs tend to be unidentifiable from each other. This doesn\u2019t make Rare<\/i> any less captivating, but it does make the record less than perfect. One exception is \u201cDeparture,\u201d the album\u2019s best song, the group tries out a distinct chorus, a memorable melody, and a slowed down tempo. A close second is \u201cShy Vein,\u201d with its hummable chorus and noteworthy spacey synth parts.<\/p>\n
As Johnson put it, \u201cwe didn\u2019t want to keep doing the same thing over and over. Churn out a \u2018safe\u2019 record to keep the train moving and food on the table\u2026\u201d This sentiment behind the inception of Rare<\/i> might be one of uncertainty, but Hundredth appear damn certain. This album is not a vehicle for a band to simply venture outside its comfort zone, but an album that finds the band as comfortable outside its comfort zone as in it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":35412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[11137],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-47308","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-hundredth","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=47308"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=47308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}