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The Hawkins Premiere “Hilow” Video; Silence is a Bomb out Sept. 4

Posted in Bootleg Theater on August 4th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

The Hawkins Silence is a Bomb

Swedish heavy rockers The Hawkins are set to issue their second album, Silence is a Bomb, through The Sign Records on Sept. 4. My only regret when it comes to hosting the premiere of the video for “Hilow” is that there isn’t a full-album stream to go with it. As a follow-up to their 2017 debut, Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll, the 12-track/39-minute collection is a fascinating document, bringing forth a vision of heavy rock and roll that is unabashedly modern despite being constructed of classic elements, and brazenly takes on the tropes of pop — from direct lyrical references to social media and engrossing, sing-along-ready vocal arrangements to a sense of movement that picks up directly from the bluesy opening the title-track gives the album and pushes through “Roomer” and “Hilow” as the start of a momentum that careens across the entirety. Dynamic in their songwriting, The Hawkins execute their material with that particularly-Swedish sense of we’ve-been-doing-this-since-we-were-six control, and an energy that is infectious, calling to mind the likes of Queen and Dio with strong vocals even as the instruments behind veer in and out of a heavier-toned vision of pop-punk.

Likewise, the detail of the production is incredible. The extra raw snap of snare in “Cut Moon Bleeds,” or the way that “Mynah” seems to build off the rush of “Stones” before it The Hawkins Silence is a Bombbut reach further in its melody. There isn’t a song on side A that doesn’t work as a single, and yes, that includes the opener, which is basically an intro, and the same holds for much of side B in the hooky “Libertine,” the attitude-laced “Stranger in the Room” and even the darker lyric of “Black Gold,” which seems to build on the brooding that’s hidden beneath the uptempo thrust of “Roomer” early on. Metallic-tinged riffing shows up in “Fisherman Blues,” but is met by a grand arrangement of vocals, and the closer “All My Birds are Dead” plays off volume changes as smoothly as cuts prior switched meter to highlight a bigger chorus feel or push a verse to give an all the more twisting feel. This is all done with an unbridled passion for the craft itself, and Silence is a Bomb makes it clear that The Hawkins aren’t just fans of heavy rock looking to exercise (or exorcise) their influences, but looking to bring something of themselves to the pastiche as well.

As for silence — bomb that it is — there isn’t much of it to be found. The Hawkins bring an abidingly raucous feel to the offering, and despite the fact that they’re very much in control of each of these songs, and the production is clear in such a way as to highlight the poppier moods in some of the tracks, “Hilow” among them, the electricity running between them as players is no less affecting than the hooks are catchy. It’s the kind of record that might put you in a better mood providing you’re willing to let it.

So give it a shot. “Hilow” follows here, and as it’s the third song to be released from Silence is a Bomb thus far, I’ve included the band’s Bandcamp player as well, so you can hear how the record kicks off and at least get that much of a taste. CD and LP preorders are, of course, available there as well.

Enjoy:

The Hawkins, “Hilow” official video premiere

The Official Music Video for The Hawkins single “Hilow”. Taken from their second album “Silence is a Bomb”, released by The Sign Records. Filmed by Ted Lindén, Bullsize Production. Artists in the video: Margareta Skogsberg Pettersson, Joel Kallioniemi.

Born and raised within a two-square-meter Swedish village, the four members have shared their musical journeys since they plucked their first chords. The specific journey of The Hawkins started back in March 2013. Deep inside a huge local industrial park, they have built their own Hawks Nest. It’s within these four walls of carpets and egg cartons where all the blistering creative magic happens.

The Hawkins debut album Ain’t Rock N Roll (released via GAIN/Sony Music) entered the world with a superb explosion in October 2017. The album included the single “Fuck You All I’m Outta Here,” a powerful song with a strong anti-fascist message which quickly gained momentum in the Swedish rock scene, securing the band’s role as one the most promising bands of the country.

To follow up the successful release of their debut, The Hawkins started the year of 2018 by going on a 22-day tour across Europe with the fellow Swedish band Corroded, rocking stages in Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Denmark. Since then, The Hawkins have kept rocking and rolling, releasing singles, dealing with broken van- incidents in the overwhelming summer heat of eastern Europe, playing countless gigs in and outside of their home country, and even brewing their own beer — the fresh IPA simply entitled “Fuck You All I’m Drinking Beer.”

Now in 2020, The Hawkins have partnered up with The Sign Records. They’re finally back with a new album entitled Silence is a Bomb, dropping on September 4th, 2020.

The Hawkins are:
Albin Grill
Mikael Thunborg
Johannes Carlsson
Martin Larsson

The Hawkins, Silence is a Bomb (2020)

The Hawkins on Thee Facebooks

The Hawkins on Instagram

The Hawkins on Bandcamp

The Sign Records on Thee Facebooks

The Sign Records website

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