I’m happy to premiere a new track from post-punk/dance-rock duo The Hydrothermal Vents, who hail from the city of Montreal. Their upcoming album, Secrets of the Deep!, is out July 5th, and judging from the premiered track – “Neptune’s Grave” – they have substantial potential for fanfare. The duo of John Tielli and Tessa Kautzman came to their sound through mutual admiration for groups like The Pixies, Talking Heads, and the B52s — so yeah, you can be assured that this stuff is going to be catchy. “Neptune’s Grave” sure is. With previous collaborative work with the likes of Arcade Fire and old-school OS favorites Hilotrons, experience certainly isn’t an issue, either.
“Neptune’s Grave” delivers with a crisp arsenal of sharp guitars and concise bass lines, melodic and fluid in their approach. The dual-vocal attack of Tielli and Kautzman leads the effort in excellent form, though. Tielli’s angst-y delivery interweaves beautifully with Kautzman’s more accessible approach — the result is successfully somewhere “in the mid-ocean ridge.” The ocean-based theme is a nice one that I expect to see continued on Secrets of the Deep!, judging by the title. “Neptune’s Delivery” is a tightly constructed success that provides an enjoyable glimpse at Secrets of the Deep!, out July 5th. It’s easy to love that Pixies-esque conclusion, too.
Check out more samples from the upcoming band on The Hydrothermal Vents’ Bandcamp. “Inside a Movie” is a great effort as well:
