Hollywood – The Haunt (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Whilst I love music that spends time building its case, which sonically sets a scene, which has depth and guile, sometimes I just want music that gets in, gets the job done and gets out again and leaves me feeling as if you have just been knocked over by a sonic sixteen-wheeler. If you also crave such music then the latest release from The Haunt is going to tick all of the right boxes.

Musically it is a short, sharp and shockingly great slice of punked-up pop meets low-slung and sleazy rock and roll, imagine the ghost of Transvision Vamp being resurrected through some sort of sonic shamanistic ceremony and you are sort of on the money.

And, as always with great songs, the back story is as interesting as the song itself. Not only written for Parks and Recreation actress Natalie Morales latest film, Plan B at her request, it was also recorded in an Airbnb in Los Angeles at 5’o’clock in the morning, a process which took on its own, singular vibe in the form of a feeling of “late-night, no sleep, extreme deadline, punk chaos right from the start.”

Isn’t that exactly what rock and roll should be? If it isn’t being made for all the right reasons but in all the wrong sorts of ways then it is far too safe to be considered part of the genre. If it isn’t living on the edge, then it is taking up too much room. Welcome to music from the edge.

Extra points if you can spot The Haunt t-shirt being worn in the trailer below.