Review: Let's Party Hats! Hats! Hats! // Let's Party Hats! Hats! Hats! EP
Let's Party Hats! Hats! Hats! formed back in 2012 and has since then released two EPs, Pain Hurts and Let's Party Hats! Hats! Hats! which just dropped on Thursday. Self-described as "three friends having fun getting mad in Connecticut", the band comprising of Adam Johnson ('14), Sean Winnik ('14), and Nate Repasz ('14) lives up to the description with their spontaneous garage-punky sound.
Their second EP is just as noisy as we hoped. The first track, "Oh Jeremy" opens with the narration of a sports commentator at a ballgame observing the "hats as far as the eye can see... hats, hats, hats, hats, hats" and abruptly jumps into a rowdy riff that continues throughout the piece and concludes in shouting vocals that are cut off by the sudden end of the song. The rest of the EP plays out similarly to this track, featuring abrupt beginnings and endings, loud escalating riffs, and occasional screaming lyrics. "Bloody Crampon" is perhaps the catchiest track, which starts off with one guitar playing a groove, then brings in another jamming off that, and introduces loud, smashing drum rhythms. The build up in this way definitely makes you want to rock out. "Get A Real Job" is notable for the comedic juxtaposition between the opening featuring schoolchildren singing an innocent tune chanting, "party, let's party", and the proceeding jump into a crunchy, hardcore jam with vocals shouting, "Get! A! Real! Job!" The album concludes with a longer track "Schedenfraude of a Jellyfish Sting and Peeing on Your Sister/Pain Hurts" which vacillates between their typical fast-paced melodies and moments of slowed-down lulls (but are just as noisy). The tracks on their EP barred resemblance to some of the faux-metal songs on Ween's first album with its offbeat lyrics/titles, grungy riffs, shouting vocals, and sense of experimentation and raw vigor. You'll definitely want to check out Let's Party Hats! Hats! Hats! whether you want to get out some pent-up anger or just want to chill and jam out.
Returning back to campus, Let's Party Hats! Hats! Hats! played a set featuring songs off their EP on Saturday night. Small groups of people took the chilly trek to Art/Music house and amassed to form an eager crowd. The band took the stage with the guitarists, Johnson and Winnik, shirtless and dawning masks, with Repasz on drums in the back. The guitarists took off their masks, introduced themselves, and they were off. The trio played each song off their new EP, adding fuel to the already rowdy songs with their energetic performances. It's the kind of music that gets you all riled up like you want to fight someone--or maybe that's just me. Nevertheless, the crowd was definitely getting into the noisy grooves as head-banging and occasional moshing ensued. After concluding their set, the band said they had one more, urging the crowd to sing along. They went into an unexpected rendition of "Home On The Range" that began slow and drawn out, possibly verging on shoegazey, and built up to a more characteristic noise-punk performance. It was a surprisingly fitting conclusion to a rad show.
Listen to Let's Party Hats! Hats! Hats! below:
