FOE - Hot New Trash

Rising from the ashes of long since disbanded Arthur, Hannah Clark unleashes an entirely different type of beast in the form of FOE; their debut EP, ‘Hot New Trash’, released on newly founded label Stella Mortos.

Produced by contemporary and label buddy Entrepreneurs, the EP is an appropriately bleak affair that shares the same caustic view of the world. From the haunting fairground harmony introduction of ‘Ape Song’ to the middle finger at the industry lyrics of ‘Genie In A Coke Can’, this is an EP laden with satirical wit carefully enveloped in an off kilter melodic charm.

‘Tyrant Song’ is the EP’s standout and one of the finest tracks by Clark to date. The sultry vocals delivering dark and disturbing images of childhood accompanied by distortion heavy guitar lines make for an unflinchingly emotive track that is both intensely intimate and at the same time poignantly distant. This is true of the EP throughout. Clark manages obscure the frankness of her lyrics around the whirlwind oddity of her musicianship, in the most beautifully contemplative manner.

‘Hot New Trash’ is as refreshingly immediate as an unexpected cold bucket of water to the face. It’s deliciously dark and the perfect antidote to the pristine world of the hysteria driven mainstream. FOE is the platform to which Hannah Clark can take the world, strip it bare, point out all of its blatant obscurities and contradictions and attempt to smash the whole pretty facade it hides behind. This is the assured sound of a musician who is nothing short of fearless.