Hermann Haze
Low Life EP
SCORE: 7 fish tacos out of 10
by Rixi Ache
From start to finish, Hermann Haze builds a very nice experience, but one without any everlasting impact. This short and palatable journey leaves you wishing there was more to it, especially when it comes to risk.
I will admit that it was difficult for me to write the following lines about Hermann Haze, an Ensenada “psychedelic” quartet made up of Alfonso (keyboards), Carlos (bass), David (drums) and Eugenio (voice and guitar). Maybe it’s due to the effects of stress produced by the current contingency, or an undeservedly directed cynicism, but I found myself returning to this phrase over and over again as I was attempting to describe their latest release: Low Life? More like Low Risk, am I right?
But wait! Before you stop reading the review, let me backtrack my steps in the sand a little bit. How is it that this, being such a friendly album can provoke such an adverse reaction? For me, Low Life’s biggest failure is precisely its lack of risk. The experience is similar to a nice beach getaway on a perfect day: clean sand, the smooth and refreshing sea breeze on your face, a microbrew in one hand, and one of those famous fish tacos in the other. It all sounds very nice, but also very, very bland.
It does not matter if it is an incongruous request in these strange times, I am of the opinion that a band must distinguish themselves from the rest in order to thrive. In other words, you must stand out to create a lasting bond with your audience, and Hermann Haze simply does not achieve that with this EP; there is nothing to keep your attention for more than the 15 minutes this albums takes to end. From the title track to its instrumental finale, "2016" (my favorite, because it reminds me of the Sonic soundtracks) Hermann Haze builds a very nice experience, but one that lacks an everlasting impact.
The fact that the band describes itself as psychedelic, wrongly predisposed me to think that this would imply some level of a transgressive spirit on their behalf, however minimal it might be. Yes, its production and hooks make it a beautiful paradisiac dream, but this short and palatable journey leaves me wishing there was more, especially when it comes to risk. I ended up preferring their 2016 single, "Desérticas", because there was more idiosyncrasy in their immaturity. I sincerely hope that their future releases don’t lack substance.
