HYTS – Exoplanet
HYTS hails from San Fracisco and Tucson, AZ and are back with their new record Exoplanet. Overall Internet presence is slowly taking shape as I learned a few things about them even before I hit play. The CD hits the deck running with a strong first track properly titled “We Are” – I say properly because it pretty much sums up the tone of the band. It’s somewhat striking reminiscent of Dead Letter Circus, Pendulum and Deadmau5.
The atmospheric synths paired with their songwriting skills makes for a strong culmination of skill sets. The beats on these opener are electronic based, but heavy and thick nonetheless. Lyrics and music are very well thought out/put together. I was instantly hooked to keep listening. Subject matter is equally tied to musical setting and delivers well-crafted vocals and different emotions that go from tranquility to eerie. Equal parts heartfelt emotion and soaring drum and bass lines, they paint images in creative, yet relatable ways. It’s evident to the ear that much time has been invested in crafting each song to stand on its own, separate from the next. The overall mix of this album is impressive without outside assistance. It refuses sounds like a bare-bones PC recording, or even a live performance. This contributes to the overall impact of the song.
I do however have a few complaints, if they can be called that. This is an EP for a certain type of listening mood. I would not recommend you listen to HYTS on the day you get fired. As I made my way from start to finish, there is a near-extreme tonality that was definitely palpable but unorthodox in nature for the vocals. However as the song moved it was constant and similar in consonance.
Bottom Line: I wish the vocals were more explosive, there were moments when you see they were going for it, but something happened midway. Most certainly HYTS has a knack for crafting imagery and instrumentation to complement their vocal style. Jacob Acosta has some great vocal skills, and they were times on some particular songs where I found myself digging his voice and love the way it blended with the music; but they were times where not sure if it was him or the music, but I was somewhat bored.
Overall, this is a very impressive release by HYTS. It was an absolute pleasure to get into their mindset and listen to. It will hold a place in my fascinating and dark play list when I really need it. My favorite track is “Synthesize”, I didn’t know I had a huge love for the 80s until I listened to that song on continuous replay. HYTS are masters at bringing together all the flavors of many different musical styles and genres. They are armed with great writing, a brilliant creative mindset. Their music is highly original and will no doubt evolve over time into something truly groundbreaking. All of this makes HYTS a much welcomed and unique group in an overly cut-and-paste industry.
A Full Length CD is overdue and worth checking out ____ASAP.
I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/exoplanet/id1257348305
Wendy Wixon
