Review Summary: Nothing left to lose. Even less to Say
All great Trilogies need a satisfying ending, without one you are merely left with The Godfather 3 - an unsatisfying waft of fart that made me cock my head like a clueless dog and put a downer on what is, some of the greatest movies ever. Much the same could be said about the Alien Trilogy – Fincher coming in and taking a steaming turd on all the good that Cameron set up. Although I have grown a fondness to the dire atmosphere in Alien 3 it still, at the time ruined everything that was great about the first two (IMO YO).
In 2015, Hawthorne Heights completed their very own Trilogy. The trilogy consists of the EPS – Hate/Hope/Hurt. The Eps cover a coming-of-age sort of story about a ‘Kid’ who is navigating through life and all the storms that come along with it.
The ‘HATE’ EP was a heavy and angry post-Hardcore album, filled with screaming, riffs and of course the occasional pop sensibility. The ‘HOPE’ EP was a lot softer and led into the poppier side of Hawthorne whilst still dabbing in the occasionally post-Hardcore moment. The ‘HURT’ EP combines everything the last two did and comes out with a very satisfying and compelling end to the Trilogy.
Right from the opening screams of ‘Cries’ in ‘TWAK part 3’ the sunny happiness of the previous EP ‘Hope’ is gone, and we get a much more aggressive sounding JT – even lending in some screaming towards the end of the opening track. Not only does JT sound good here, but his lyrics are also a lot better and much more mature. The guitar work is something that I really loved throughout. Whilst it’s not going to be breaking any technical boundaries, the lead licks and riffs do exactly what they need to do and are catchy and memorable - “Beneath the Silver Strand’ and the opening riff of ‘Hurt’ are great examples of this.
Hawthorne’s lyrics have always been a sticking point and the main thing that people point out as ‘Cringe’. Well, JT has peaked here. It’s a great conclusion to the evolving coming of age story of the ‘Kid’ although be it an unhappy ending as ‘Bury my Bones at Crystal Cove’ states:
Bury my bones and burn away scars
Scatter my ashes in places I loved
End my existence in places afar
Bury my heart down at Crystal Cove
‘Common Crook’ is the standout track of the EP. It combines the Hawthorne we all know with the Hawthorne that I love. It has got screams, palm muted riffing, lyrics about letting go and the glorious line – ‘I’m trying not to hate you but, I hope this hurts you twice as much as me’. It’s the perfect track that I play when someone goes – ‘Hey I used to like Hawthorne, what are they now?’.
The EP really is the quintessential sound of Hawthorne Heights. No matter what, Hawthorne is a pop band at heart and JT proves that with his catchy writing but there is also the honesty and raw emotion that makes them stand out. Not only have they been doing it for 20+ years they have stuck true to themselves and what they wanted to create and evolved their earlier sound into something better. It’s good to see a band not have to change everything about them to stay relevant – Hawthorne stuck to their guns, and this EP is a testament that they were right in doing so, because they are only getting better.
Standout Tracks
‘Common Crook’
‘Hurt’
‘The Darkest of Times’
