dolphin friendly hysteria
dolphin friendly hysteria

Dolphin FriendlyHero Skies (Single)

Meow
5th November, 2021
8
Triptastic

“Alright let me tell you a story about a trip that I rode/I walked into this bar called Morrison Hotel…” – Hero Skies commences with a spoken-word recollection (think: Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side) underscored by a sneaky bassline, funky wah-wah guitar and subtle drum accents.

MORE: BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE: Building A Metal Legacy // DREAM THEATER: The Perfect Playlist For a Dream Theater Beginner REVIEWS: EVERY TIME I DIE: Radicals // DON BROCO: Amazing Things // BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE: Bullet For My Valentine // MASTODON: Hushed and Grim // BLACK COAST: Outworld // CONVERGE & CHELSEA WOLF: Bloodmoon: I // JIM LINDBERG: Songs From The Elkhorn Trail

Enter the pre-chorus (“Fading space in vain let the people soar sky-high…”), delivered as if through a megaphone, which ushers in maximum dynamic impact: wailing riffs, pelting drums–OOF!


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Better brace yourself for the soaring chorus that follows! Lead singer/rhythm guitarist Sam Mander opens up to full throttle, fully utilising that gritty, alluring upper register – the vocal versatility on display throughout Hero Skies is truly extraordinary.

The song’s arrangement then pares back – just crisp finger snaps and occasional guitar strums – to punctuate the phrase, “I can feel the light it’s part of me,” which is repeated and harmonised until an instrumental stacks-on invades the scene. Following this psychedelic, multidimensional track’s closing freakout – a thrashing, cacophonous peak of gnarly riffs and cymbal-heavy drum demolition – a final, elongated, blood-curdling “Liiiiiiiggghhhhhhhht!” silences all instrumentation. Yep, we’re fully invested.

the vocal versatility on display throughout Hero Skies is truly extraordinary

So what’s Hero Skies all about? The first taste from Dolphin Friendly’s eagerly awaited, forthcoming Won’t Be Fools EP (scheduled to rock our earholes next March), Hero Skies teleports this Auckland-based band into the afterlife where they temporarily hang with their fallen musical heroes/influences. We won’t totally spoil the Hero Skies lyrical Easter egg hunt (eg. Valerie refers to The Zutons’ song that Amy Winehouse covered for Mark Ronson’s Version album and the “blonde guy looking kind of shy in the corner” is Kurt Cobain), so make sure you check out Dolphin Friendly’s trippy accompanying film clip – which was produced/edited by Wade McClelland (Made By Wade) and has already scored multiple plays on rage – for more clues.


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Hero Skies sounds as iridescent and striking as the forward-facing, mid-flight, fluoro-green owl that graces the single’s cover art. This is Dolphin Friendly’s future calling: to say it’s so bright they’d better upgrade their shades with high-quality polarised lenses right now is a gross understatement.

STICK THIS NEXT TO: Grinspoon (early), Ocean Alley, Red Hot Chili Peppers




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