Iowa - Panic Attack (23/02/2012)
Iowa are a three piece grunge rock band from Melbourne comprising of guitarist/vocalist Dylan Stewart, bassist Jordan Barczak and drummer Matt Rooney. Their second single ‘Panic Attack’ has been released ahead of their full album ‘Never Saw It Coming’ which is set to come out in April.
Opening track ‘Panic Attack’ is a shining example of how fuzzed out distortion can work in a song without completely destroying it with ear splitting ferocity. The main guitar hook spikes through the music like a live wire, lending its energy to the chaos, as I find myself pulled in by the rippling psychedelic effects. Further diversity is added to the track through rocky guitar licks and crashing frenetic drum beats.
The jagged quality of Dylan Stewart’s voice carries lyrics with heartfelt sincerity and holds up well against the raw edge of sound.
‘Same Solution’ is not as fast paced as its predecessor and leads in with a tribal beat, before the fuzz sets in again. The vocals are more pronounced in this song and have more of a pearl jam drawl to them. The harmony ambles along until it descends headlong into distorted shredding and wailing reverb. The song is nicely rounded, but I felt it lacked the same potency as the first track.
This has got to be one of the better single releases that I’ve heard in while, that covers this type of genre. The experimental layering of sound has been brought right to the precipice in the best way possible, without being over done. The gem here was ‘Panic Attack’; it definitely has enough exuberance and energy in it to keep its audience engaged. The band has worked to keep a certain rough character to their sound that I would hope will carry through to the rest of their album. If that is the case, then I’m looking forward to what else Iowa has in store for us.
Nazia Hafiz
Opening track ‘Panic Attack’ is a shining example of how fuzzed out distortion can work in a song without completely destroying it with ear splitting ferocity. The main guitar hook spikes through the music like a live wire, lending its energy to the chaos, as I find myself pulled in by the rippling psychedelic effects. Further diversity is added to the track through rocky guitar licks and crashing frenetic drum beats.
The jagged quality of Dylan Stewart’s voice carries lyrics with heartfelt sincerity and holds up well against the raw edge of sound.
‘Same Solution’ is not as fast paced as its predecessor and leads in with a tribal beat, before the fuzz sets in again. The vocals are more pronounced in this song and have more of a pearl jam drawl to them. The harmony ambles along until it descends headlong into distorted shredding and wailing reverb. The song is nicely rounded, but I felt it lacked the same potency as the first track.
This has got to be one of the better single releases that I’ve heard in while, that covers this type of genre. The experimental layering of sound has been brought right to the precipice in the best way possible, without being over done. The gem here was ‘Panic Attack’; it definitely has enough exuberance and energy in it to keep its audience engaged. The band has worked to keep a certain rough character to their sound that I would hope will carry through to the rest of their album. If that is the case, then I’m looking forward to what else Iowa has in store for us.
Nazia Hafiz