“The bloody descent to my heavenly grave.“
Almost exactly a year on from their last release, Pincer+ are back around again with their follow-up to Hunting God Tapes. Vol. 1: Violence. The opening chapter saw the Perth unit’s caustic sound in full-force, even if it did lack the full sprinklings of character that would have seen it become a memorable and lasting marker. With Hunting God Tapes. Vol. 2: Romance, Pincer+ hope to reach the potential their stacked lineup is fully capable of.
Opener “Heart of Glass” is nothing short of a rager, with two-step beats and crunching guitar riffs encompassing the track. As vocalist Jason Robb yells, “I’m in the ceiling, you’re in the walls, better luck next time,” it injects an adrenaline to Hunting God Tapes. Vol. 2: Romance that brings the record to life. The furious and punchy breakdown that closes it out makes for one of the most vicious opening moments of the year.
While “Closer To God” continues the record’s unrelenting momentum, it’s where Pincer+ delve into a much-needed variation and a compactness. Introducing itself with the expected violent nature, the weaving in of almost narrative-esque vocals from Josh Ang provides a breadth in the wider context of the EP, before the track returns to the expecting form in a menacing breakdown. The momentum stumbles on “Visions of Angel“, and the adrenaline of early tracks does being to wear; and while this, “Self Received Halo“, and “Romance (I Don’t Want to See Anymore)” are by no means bad tracks, there’s very little to grasp onto other than the tracks being overtly heavy.
The largest twist in Pincer+‘s story comes with “Stuck in the Ceiling“, featuring Soundcloud rapper Apex Afi, which sees the closer indulging in atmospheric trap-rap to conclude Hunting God Tapes. Vol. 2: Romance. While there is an element of personal taste to the closer, it’s difficult not to see it as obtuse, as well as a missed opportunity to weave these elements into previous tracks to make for a more cohesive experience.
Once again, it’s difficult not to feel like there is something special ready to be uncovered with Pincer+ that has yet to be fully realised. Some of this may be a consequence of the high expectations that arrived with the onset of the project, but the moments of inspiration displayed on tracks such as “Closer To God” and “Heart Of Glass” reminds of the group’s promise, yet what follows struggles to capture the imagination in the same way. Maybe once the full story is told, what Pincer+ are composing will be more than the sum of its parts, but for now Hunting God Tapes Vol. 2: Romance falls firmly into the ‘good’ territory.
7/10
Hunting God Tapes. Vol. 2: Romance is out November 24th via Greyscale Records, and you can pre-order it here.