The newest single from HMLTD, a band from The United Kingdom based in Southern London England, is the start of a new era and the music world is better off.
The politically-charged group has been teasing their full length debut album for nearly a year now. A member of HMLTD recently created the twitter account @hmltdalbumwhen and the hashtag #hmltdalbumwhen to the amusement of many fans.
The band’s most recent single, “The West Is Dead,” also came with a release date for the 2020 album West of Eden: Feb. 7.
Being able to release an album next year when they got dropped by their label is an amazing thing.
An article by VICE claiming to out HMLTD as “LGBT tourists” soured the band’s reputation with their old label Sony.
The band was picked up by the label Lucky Number, which represented Australian singer Gotye for his 2008 album Like Drawing Blood. Goyte is best known for creating the hit single “Somebody That I Used To Know.”
HMLTD’s first single released with Lucky Number, “LOADED,” is about the money the band made with Sony, and how the experience with the label changed. As the lyrics say, “I sold my soul to the devil tonight.”
The second and newest single, “The West Is Dead,” opens with a monologue from lead singer Henry Spychalski.
Three years ago I said
The West is dying right underneath my nose
And I’ll be so glad when it finally goes
I hate to say I told you so
The West is dead
Spychalski sings “the west is dead” a total of 16 times. These lyrics are accompanied by the grooviest guitars that have ever been on an HMLTD production. The guitars get replaced slowly with synths and classic electronic effects present on HMLTD’s 2017 track “Gloria.”
Now that the west is dead, HMLTD has called this album, West of Eden, as the west’s eulogy.
HMLTD is known for their erratic genre hopping but the angry vocals from earlier tracks have been replaced with a nuanced and calm delivery over political messages that have never been this “in your face” before.
Each lyric comes off as a straightforward fact.
The lyric “the west is dead” doesn’t try to sway opinion. It is simply stating the fact that “the west is dead.” However, what does it actually mean for the west to be dead? The expertly crafted lyrics let the listeners come up with their own interpretation.
The current messages in “The West Is Dead” are similar to the symphony of political messages in Childish Gambino’s music video for the 2018 single “This Is America.” Both songs shout their discontent with western culture and values.
The release of the single “The West Is Dead” also came with a track list for the debut album, West of Eden. The closing track is titled “War Is Looming.”
Judging from the fact that the artists are singing about impending war, the political message that is going to appear on West of Eden is strong.
The music HMLTD creates can’t be explained by looking up the meaning of lyrics. The lyrics mean something different for every individual. HMLTD stays clear of telling the listener what to think resulting in a unique experience worthy of a listen.
