The New Review has given New Zealand's Decortica a 5 out of 5 star review for their new EP "Love Hotel"...
[thenewreview.net] Primarily in Japanese culture, a love hotel serves as a space available for consumers to purchase a private room in a public space for a brief amount of time to engage in romantic behavior. This intriguing and most likely unfamiliar comfort is the concept around which alternative rockers Decortica have built their second full length album, Love Hotel. Here, the trio from Auckland, New Zealand, showcases their skill as highly capable songwriters and talent as musicians over the span of six densely layered compositions spanning from unrelenting guitar led assaults to expansive sonic passages steeped in delicate melodies.
Decortica’s brief, yet utterly stunning affair begins with the snappy and ever flowing “Shinkansen.” Immediately, front man and guitarist Mathew Bosher makes his presence known with his ever evolving guitar playing and distinctive croon. Supplementing the record’s speedy opening, bassist Antoinette Lee and skins masher Tory ‘Jester’ Staples prove themselves worthy of acknowledgment as both create a rock steady backbone for the group to share from. “Shinkansen” is truly a tune of halves. The first half is blistering, up-tempo madness but tasteful enough to root itself into one’s ears for lengths on end. After the initial bombast, the piece melts into a serene bridge demonstrating the trio’s ability to create a mesmerizing atmosphere before allowing the song to build one last time.
Following closely in the opener’s footsteps is the moody “Eros.” Steadily egged along by the tuneful low-end of Lee, the track continually blooms, getting wilder as the times slips by. After the midpoint of the tune, the band is in full force, offering muscular guitar passages and on point drumming. “Eros” is a composition that unfolds spectacularly, while channeling a sonic delivery similar to the Deftones as Decortica is capable of threading the line between hushed contemplation and deafening discontentment. After the restrained aggression of “Eros” comes a completely unbridled onslaught of guitar to introduce first single, “Monster in a Pretty Dress.” Seconds after the composition begins, evident is the fact that when Decortica wants to rock, they have more than enough chops to stand with the heavyweights. The majority of the song develops more along the lines of a moderately accessible alternative rock piece, reflecting the trio’s intelligent decision to release this tune first. In a fair universe, “Monster in a Pretty Dress” would annihilate radio stations attuned to heavier alternative rock.
One of the glowing characteristics of Love Hotel is the record’s concise presentation, offering a package of six compositions. Generally, music fans would be taken aback by such a tiny number but the statement of “…all killer, no filler” fits this scenario perfectly as each song averages about five minutes in running time, with not a single piece overstaying their welcome. Without a doubt, this is a concept album utterly headstrong in avoiding any trace of pretension and Love Hotel is a much more dynamic, engulfing, and captivating record because of this.
READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW HERE!!
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