Los Hories
What's the Time!?
Off The Hip


New Zealand three piece Los Hories bust out the lo-fi garage punk on 'What's The Time!?' Recorded on reel-to-reel tape in an abandoned Scottish Marching hall, the band played live to tape and have ended up with a sound which suits their analogue sensibilities perfectly. The reverb and surface noise means there's a whole lot of texture and character to the album, enough to evoke the warmth and feel of a jukebox stylus riding a spinning 45, which seems to be just what these lovers of the old school were aiming for.

This album is full of fun, danceable tunes, -in fact, you can imagine their crowds doing the swim and the mashed potato to songs like the 50's surf influenced Dead Town. Cut from the same cloth, the opening track Nothing's Wrong has a slight Del Shannon feel to it, coming at it like the Ramones with its pop melodies coated in warm noise and primal playing. Bleed For You and Dynamite have a definite Hives vibe, the overdriven riffs being complimented by vocalist "Baron" Aaron Lost's raspy performance and pushing their energy into the red as he successfully monkeys Howlin' Pelle Almqvist's style.

There's plenty of fun garage punk to be had here, though there's nothing as solid as The Hives, or as kinetic as The Gories. Their cover of that band's track Queenie is a definite highlight, getting a little bluesy and heavier to pay tribute to a band who have obviously had a big influence on them. It doesn't seem so long ago that New Zealand was promising to be the heir to Detroit's garage legacy, and while this band aren't gracing any NME covers they're a definite good time for like-minded listeners.

Aaron Farrant