Hands Like Houses – Unimagine
Reviewed by Haley Black
The United States has had an Australian invasion on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour from the artists in Tonight Alive and the newcomers in Hands Like Houses, and they have been supporting each other in this foreign land on their quest to gain a larger following. Hands Like Houses have released their sophomore album, Unimagine, just a year after dropping their debut, Ground Dweller. They wasted no time putting out another album, and in this case they didn’t need to. The quality of the album doesn’t feel rushed or half-assed. In just a year’s time, the post-hardcore outfit have managed to evolve and show more progression than most bands do in double or triple the time.
The album is introduced by a diluted synthesized melody, an intricate guitar solo, and velocious drum beats in “Developments.” The energetic and compelling combination gives listeners just a brief preview of the intensity that’s in store.
The singles, “Introduced Species” and “A Fire On A Hill” are solid rock anthems. “Introduced Species” contains one of the most infectious choruses in all 11 tracks with the chant, “We don’t belong here,” while “A Fire On A Hill” draws the album to a phenomenal conclusion.
Three tracks in, “Weight” cuts deep with simple yet powerful lyrics. The bridge presents the mantra, “I’m not helpless, I’m not hopeless.” There is so much diversity in the musicality of the instruments, especially the guitars. There is some serious shredding taking place, with appearances from grungy guitar effects in a few short measures.
“The House You Built” has one of the catchiest melodies with more of a pop vibe than any other track. The drums are more contained and the sound of the guitars will resonate in your ears all while the synth and keyboard build momentum between phrases.
Things turn down a couple notches with the fluid piano melody conceived in “Oceandust” coupled with a nonchalant acoustic guitar. Trenton Woodley shows off his vocal range from this soft spoken lullaby to the raspy high voltage inflections on the ten other tracks.
There is not even the slightest possibility that anymore could imagine an album more on point from Hands Like Houses than Unimagine. It displays growth and endless amounts of imagination with an infinite amount of profound metaphors and analogies in each individual song. It is no wonder that Kevin Lyman saw the inventiveness himself and gave the band a special invitation to perform all summer long on Warped Tour. There is no doubt that the world will be seeing a lot more of Hands Like Houses (and their impressive mustaches) in 2013 and the years to come.
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars
Recommended Tracks: “Weight,” “No Parallels” and “Shapeshifters”
