Album Review: ‘Pitchblack EP’ by Happy Hunting

Singer/songwriter Jana Tyrrell has teamed up with her brother Alex to create the Happy Hunting project.  Their first EP ‘Pitchblack’ is at first listen a strange and challenging journey into sound; you do not necessarily get instant shivers down the spine.  Nevertheless for those who know the worth of investing a little bit of time warming to a record the reward is rich.

Drawing from various influences such as 80s pop/rock, dubstep, ragga and, if one particular intro is anything to go by Spaghetti Westerns, ‘Pitchblack’ is as dramatically morose as the title suggests and all the more engaging for it.  Given its relative brief format you might not associate the word ‘epic’ with an Extended Play but Tyrrell & Tyrrell achieve it here.  From lyrics such as...

‘Feel the blood it’s draining out and see the shapes slip away, this love will be the death of me...’

And the poetically menacing...

‘...Make this your last regret, ‘cos we all remember, what time forgets...’

...One gets the impression something or someone has broken Jana’s heart.  The songs pulsate with the rawness of the experience as they very well should.  Her expressive, crystalline soprano provides an added sense of fragility that sits somehow comfortably on top of the EP’s attractively chaotic –sometimes even savage-soundscape. 

 ‘My Life Is a Mess’ is something of a dark horse, inveigling itself into the affections.  Underestimate it at your peril.  ‘This Love’, thanks to its memorable refrain, is a bolder creature; like the charismatic, more obviously good-looking sibling.  Each has undeniable charm.  Pitchblack’s apotheosis however comes in the form of stunning final track ‘Immorality’ which has a grand, meditative quality; the kind that has served Coldplay’s career so well.

There’s a hunger and fearlessness evident on ‘Pitchblack’ that suggest Happy Hunting are ones on which to keep a keen eye.

Download ‘Pitchblack’ for a price of your choice here.