EP Review :: The Witch Hunt - Little Book Of Hate

The Witch Hunt

Little Book Of Hate

October 31 2013 (Dead Young Records)

8/10

Words: Dave Beech

Fresh off the back of a summer filled with festivals, Leeds duo The Witch Hunt (comprised of Louisa Osborn and Chris Mulligan) are set to release their debut EP 'Little Book of Hate' to an already burgeoning fanbase. Now, having filled support slots for the likes of Veronica Falls and Wolf Alice, as well as gracing the stages of Reading and Leeds and Tramlines to name but a few, the pair have taken the experiences and opted to fill out their sound by the addition of drums and other such percussion to accompany the driving synth already behind them, providing added texture to an already rich and layered ensemble, making 'Little Book of Hate' the band's most fleshed out endeavour yet.

Following on from their hotly tipped, second single 'Crawl', 'Little Book of Hate' is five tracks of varying moods and aesthetics. From the brooding London Grammar-esque opener of 'Army Man' to the garage rock crunch of 'One Big Bite' each track offers up a fresh take on an established sound or genre, with singer Osborn's soulful vocals lending themselves perfectly irrespective of the individual aesthetics. A particular highlight comes at the halfway point in 'Wide and Laughing'. A fantastically produced track, a chunky bass in the style of The xx leads in to what proves to be an understated yet squeaky clean record featuring some unusual percussion.

Perhaps one of the most impressive things about 'Little Book of Hate' is the way in which it feels like a natural progression towards its conclusion. Each track gives the impression of a completely different emotion: Resentment ('Army Man'); Optimism ('Wide and Laughing'); Anger ('Can You Believe It?'), before finally arriving at acceptance in the form of the eponymous 'Little Book of Hate'. Easily the highpoint of the EP, this title track offsets the feelings perpetuated by the rest of the record fantastically, allowing the it to go out with a well-deserved, yet entirely metaphorical, bang.