Alt/Indie rockers, The Hybris, have just released their latest single, What If, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed several listens here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today.
Something about The Hybris really spoke to us. All members hiding behind pseudonyms and wearing bunny masks in their promotional pictures. We giggled at their press release; Some suspect, they want to make themselves more interesting than they really are. Others believe it is a smart move – since they’re incredibly ugly in real life.
Hiding their true identities is one thing, but this is an exceptionally talented trio. What If is an anthem about saving the world. It’s an idea that we stand in the middle of a burning planet with a match in our hand and an ignorant smile on our face.
We loved this song right from the very start. A powerful rocky feeling immediately fills your ears the moment the song begins. There’s no easing in to the track here, it hits you right from the beginning. A truly powerful start.
We loved the riff on the guitars that powers the song ahead with a very funky rock feel. A tambourine adds a nice touch and the layered vocals sit extremely well and are easy to discern every lyric.
The toms work is superb in this track and the drums throughout are clear and bright. The toms section gives a half time feel that really made us all nod our heads in appreciation here at the Send Me Your Ears studio.
The instrumental sections are superb. Even without a real solo section, the instruments manage to maintain a real interest in the track and most definitely aren’t just a filler before the vocals return. There’s a great spoken word section where the instruments break down a little, making way for those fantastic clear and present drums to really shine.
There’s always a great deal happening in the track to keep the listener engaged. The chorus is super catchy and sing-along with some real Franz Ferdinand moments.
The stinger ending is a nice touch to a song that has a slightly desperate “can we all please start looking after this planet of ours” feeling. It’s almost as if to say that we didn’t and it’s too late.
We were very surprised to read that these guys record their music remotely from three different countries. This is not apparent in the production of this track which sounds as together as any other single studio recording. Each instrument has been recorded very well and the mix makes them all fit together perfectly.
A boost around 55Hz would give some extra thump to the kick drum. The tuned note of the snare drum felt a little dominant to our ears so a surgical EQ cut at 220Hz would reduce this slight peak. A boost around 350Hz would maybe add some extra fullness to the overall sound. A boost centred around 4kHz would add to the presence and definition and finally a high shelf boost in the top octave for a little more ‘zing’.
One of our favourites this week, The Hybris have produced a superbly funky rock track that preys on your mind and forces you to think hard about your views about our planet. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this superb, truly International, trio.