Ah, the appeal of the theatre. Throw in some nihilism and, most likely, an abundance of mascara and you might well end up in the moonlit avenues and alleyways inhabited by HVIRESS. So, onwards I go into the shadows, with garlic and a torch in hand, on a mission to listen to their album “Bitchhouse”.
HVIRESS are clearly not short on style and also have a notable flair for the dramatic with these songs seeming like their only true home would be the stage of a run down theatre in the backstreets of glory. There are darkwave influences creeping in from every corner but the smell of greasepaint soon overpowers them and, with that aforementioned nihilism driving many of the lyrics, these eleven songs soon take the form of the original cast recording to a gothic musical that only the undead and the midnight people have ever seen.
To their credit, HVIRESS throw in anything else that was handy into the mix whilst keeping this album steady on its chosen course so, while style is clearly on show, this is a band unafraid of following their own musical instincts all the way through the shadows and into the spotlight. “Bitchhouse” is therefore worth a visit.
Available from Bandcamp and the usual digital places.