Review of Microshift by Hookworms

Hookworms is a psychedelic indie pop/noise rock band consisting of five members from Leeds, England. The group released their first tape in 2011 and have been slowly climbing their way up the ladder of success ever since. In 2013, they released their debut LP, Pearl Mystic, which was widely praised. Following Pearl Mystic, they released The Hum in in 2014, which was even more critically acclaimed. Today, the group finally released the highly-anticipated Microshift—their third full-length LP. In short, this release is a huge leap forward for the group, and an important installment in their discography.

Microshift is without a doubt the cleanest sounding record I've heard from Hookworms. The album features the most intricate and compelling instrumentation in their catalogue. There's a much greater emphasis on electronic production in this album than there ever has been before, and the production quality is higher than it's ever been. This propels them even further into the "psychedelic" direction they've always seemed to be heading in. They have cut back significantly on the heavy amounts of distortion they've been known to use in the past, which really works in their favor. I've always felt as though MJ's muffled vocals were hiding in the shadow of the fuzzy and gritty instrumentation—not reaching maximum potential. Microshift has proven my point. The vocals in this album are clearer, brighter, and more fine-tuned than they've ever been—especially on tracks like "The Soft Season," "Opener," and "Shortcomings." While the album definitely has its own unique sound, certain elements of the music are reminiscent of groups like LCD Soundsystem, Kraftwerk, and King Gizard & The Lizard Wizard.

The album begins with "Negative Space," a track with epic electronic/instrumental progression and great vocal performance. This was the first single we heard from Microshift back in 2017. I loved that single, and unsurprisingly, it is one of my favorite tracks on the album.  Another standout track is "The Soft Season"—a beautiful song that builds from two simple organ chords. It begins to swell as vocals, synthesizers, and woodwinds are gradually layered in. I assume "Opener" will be one of the most talked about tracks on the album, just because it seems to be trendy for people to glorify the longest song on an album. While I do genuinely enjoy "Opener," I was a little underwhelmed by it. For a song that's clocks in at 8'36, there weren't any mind-blowing or hair-raising payoffs that justified its length. Another one of my favorite tracks on the album (conceptually, at least) is the shortest one: "Boxing Day." That song sounds like a sonic embodiment of fear and paranoia. Between the galloping tom groove, the droning, monotone vocals, and the sporadic, dissonant electric guitar runs, the song is simply haunting. The whole thing culminates into an abrupt ending that leaves you wondering, "What just happened?" The end of the song is even more drastic in context of the album, because it leads straight into "Reunion," which is the most beautiful and relaxed song on the record. It's a completely instrumental, synth-based ambient track that's overlaid with a distant, flavorful saxophone solo. Microshift might deal with grief, loss, and depression—but ultimately, it offers hope. The bright, bass-driven album closer, "Shortcomings," does an especially great job at shifting the mood of the album to one of hope and optimism.

As I've said throughout this review, this seems to be their best album to date in terms of production, instrumentation, and vocal performance. I thoroughly enjoyed the record, and it's one of my favorite releases of 2018 so far. It's just exciting to see Hookworms show so much growth in every facet of their music. I'm really anxious to see where they'll go from here. But in the mean time, I'll be enjoying Microshift.