Hullore is the alternative indie rock brainchild of Los Angeles musician Lee Gardner. His last EP was 2022’s Hello, which received excellent notices. This year’s follow-up is titled EP2.
Hullore’s influences include the Deftones, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age and Seattle bands like Soundgarden, Nirvana and Alice in Chains. Musically Gardner describes the band as “heavy, indie and alternative all at the same time, as if Alice in Chains and Deftones swapped instruments to channel Black Sabbath. But mostly heavy because growing up in the Pacific Northwest and listening to grunge will do that to a person.”
Recording took place at Gardner’s home recording studio. I don’t know for sure but I suspect Gardner played most instruments. Mixing was by Brendan Dekora and mastering by Maor Applebaum.
“Pie in the Sky” begins with a single, plaintive electric guitar riff, like a message found in an empty shack. Then the riff is gently doubled, before jumping out the of the way for the massive wall of rock that slams into frame like a freight train. The main riff is somewhat similar to Led Zeppelin’s “Dancing Days” and that’s all to the good. Gardner’s vocals have the laconic, matter-of-fact tone of early Ozzie. I have great respect for music with heavy riffage because I know that playing at that volume ain’t the easiest feat. Along with the guitars, the drums sound live and beastly. I played along with a nail clipper on my desk.
“Breathe” increases the riff speed from the previous track at least by a factor of two. What’s interesting is that Garner is clear about his Seattle grunge background, but what I hear are all the bands like the Kinks or early Who that paved the way for this kind of go-crazy rock. This is a high energy ass kicker that doesn’t really follow its own advice: “Please don’t forget to breathe!”
“Garden of Faith” starts with impossibly fuzzed-out bass playing a fractured, squared-off riff. Walls of trebly guitars soon follow. This track’s a slower, more blues-based morass that definitely calls out from Sabbath’s tomb. A more basic song but still powerful. The final track “Sun Meets Earth” similarly starts out with high-end, Rickenbaker-style bass and ringing fuzz riffs. This feels more like a lament for a lost affair, writ large with lyrical imagery evoking a planetary cataclysm: “Say a goodbye to the night / when the Sun meets the Earth.” Scary to think about but fun to sing! Gardner stretches out a bit on this one, with laid-back (other) world-weary vocals and a jangly, classic rocker lead solo.
Gardner clearly loves this style of music and pays great tribute with his current songs, which are all solid and worth a look!