Naomi Hates Humans - My Love / Death Of A Party

You ever heard that one about not judging a book by its cover? It turns out you shouldn’t judge a band according to their chosen moniker, either. While the name Naomi Hates Humans gives rise to imaginings of riot grrrl punk (or even J-pop), what unfolds on pressing play is an altogether more subtle affair than suggested.

NHH are actually a six-piece fronted by the eponymous Naomi, who took the name from her previous band Morbo Hates Humans, and this double A-side is the first release since 2009’s EP, simply titled ‘EP’. ‘My Love’ opens with twanging guitar that turns into reverb-drenched riffs and spectral vowel sounds; it’s all very Bat For Lashes, down to the snare drum intro that’s straight off of ‘What’s A Girl To Do?’. Indeed, the wan, plaintive vocals are positioned halfway between the breathy beauty of Natasha Khan and Florence Welch’s steely strength. The second A-Side ‘Death Of A Party’ is by no means a departure, but it lacks the certain something that makes its predecessor memorable. Amorphous in comparison to the structuredness of ‘My Love’, it also fails to match the swooning atmospherics and comes off a touch repetitive.

Admittedly delicate yet tense, on the strength of this outing the sound of Naomi Scott and her band is also a vague and sketchy one. For similar but more substantial, you’re better off seeking out the likes of Howling Bells: they know how to meld sparse minimalism with packing a punch – and luckily, live up to their name.