HYSTERESE - Hysterese (2021)

Artist:  Hysterese
Album: Hysterese
Year:  2021
Genre:  Punk / Alternative

Hysterese now has four albums titled Hysterese.   I guess they just want to make it utterly difficult to talk about their albums in context, so bear with me.  Very little is known about this band as their presence online is close to nonexistent.  I was lucky enough to catch them live on their 2015 US tour, but before I could even say, “hello!” and thank them for the two wonderful albums they had at the time, they disappeared instantly after their strong set.  Oh well, at least I had the chance to ask their merch guy how to properly pronounce the name of the band.  By the way, phonetically it’s HEEST-UH-REE-ZAY.  I still don’t say it right.  Anyways, just so we are clear, I’m writing about their newest 2021 release…Hysterese.  These awesome Germans released two of my favorite albums of the last 11 years.  Their eponymous albums from 2011 and 2014 (my album of the year!) are top-tier highlights in more than a decade of  mostly letdowns and unimpressive quality from the world of punk rock.

Soapbox Alert!

I’ve mentioned this in previous reviews, but I am having a severely difficult time discovering new punk rock that ignites a flame inside of me.  Could be my age.  Could be my interest is diminishing.  Or, it could be that the genre isn’t shedding its skin and reinventing itself with new, motivated and interesting bands.  I know, that’s a horrible blanket statement and I’m sure there are bands hiding in the corners of cities I don’t about, but it’s not like it once was.  Where are the kids that want to shove all the old fucks who are still playing 30 to 40 years later out the proverbial backdoor?  I just don’t see it as much as I think I should.  I don’t have a problem with elder bands, but punk was never the genre where the old led the way.  What the fuck kids?  Where are you?

Useless Rant Ended.

Back to it… I’m now going to type some terms that will scare a timid punker.  Maturity.  Exploration.  Progression.  These three words are a perfect embodiment of the newest Hysterese album.  The band no longer plays with youthful, rampant ferocity which engulf their first couple releases.  Also, they minimally use the shared interplay of female / male vocals that worked so incredibly together as this record sees Helen taking the lead.  She truly shines on this album and puts all her talent to the forefront as she takes her vocals well beyond anything she’s laid down to tape previously.  I won’t lie, the trade-off / combination approach the band used to employ between her and Moritz created fierce tension and distinction in their sound that I truly miss.  Their third album from 2018, called Hysterese (stop already!), set everyone up for this newest record.  Even though I believe the third album is very hit-and-miss and the weakest link in their catalog, it was a bridge connecting their fervent ways with the style the band is playing currently, which brings to mind melodic punk infused with some dark alternative inspiration.  If hardcore fans weren’t hip to the transition of that third album, then this new one will not do them any favors. 

The good news is that Hysterese has found their niche with their musical shift and present themselves confidently on this recording, something the last record was lacking.  The songs show meaningful concentration on verse and chorus melodies which will remain in your head for days, yet, simultaneously avoid becoming too happy and sugar-coated.  The vocal performance is extremely strong and are the highlight of the record.  The guitars have undeniably lost a touch of power and bite, but the newly found effects of reverb and delay create a nice wall-of-sound for the vocals to rest upon.  The band still retains a lot of the drive displayed on their earlier work, but is in better control of the whirlwind now.  The listener will instantly hear the new-found creativity as hints of post-punk and 90s alternative creep into the songs, such as on the opener “Burning.”  Almost unbelievably, “The Hunter” sounds like a throwback to great 80s metal.  Just listen to the backing vocals on that second verse.  Damn!  Make no mistake, their punk hearts are still all over this record, but they have definitively expanded the scope of what they play…and it’s working well.  Fans of  White Lung, AFI, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Lillingtons, and even Jawbreaker and Catherine Wheel might just find something special on this album.

For a brief moment I was questioning how I felt about this release, as I’m still a touch jilted by their last record.  My adoration for Hysterese 2021 wasn’t instantaneous and took me a few listens before I realized how great this collection of songs is.  Admittedly, I was still selfishly hoping for a return-to-form from Hysterese.  Almost like they learned their lesson experimenting on the previous album, so they will just “go back to normal.”  I am extremely aware that a petulant, immature child is still lurking inside of me.  Musical turns in style don’t scare me or make me dislike a band.  In contrast, there is nothing wrong with hoping you get more of what you know you like, but without growth there is stagnation.  Nothing says they had anything left in the tank for writing another hardcore punk record.  If they did and it was bad, then I would just be bitching about how they keep writing the same album over and over.  I suck.  With that, I’m grateful to have this record in my arsenal.  I find myself revisiting it quite often and getting more hooked with each listen.

Listen to "Burning" here.