Dynamic alt-rock duo HAVVK, led by Julie Hough alongside Matt Harris, recently released their fourth studio album Time Will Kill on 19 June, via Veta Records. Self-described as “a reckoning”, Time Will Kill explores the personal pursuit of reclaiming control in a race against time.
The eleven-track album features the focus track ‘The Last’, alongside a handful of standout songs that could each lay claim to being the “best song on the album”. Kicking off a particularly strong opening trio of songs, Time Will Kill begins with ‘Happening Again’, a track that both opens and closes with crashing punk vigour, countered by a more controlled midsection and melodic chorus.
‘On Time’ raises the intensity further, delivering an even more punk-driven and headbanging enthusiasm. Ironically, only a minute and a half in length, considering its title and chaotic pace, ‘On Time’ sets an early tone and tempo for the rest of the album.
Concluding the opening trio of songs mentioned above is perhaps the album’s most pop-leaning track, ‘Bad Look’. A personal favourite on the album, the song resembles the infectious energy of a Paramore-style hit single, pairing a classic upbeat verse with a catchy chorus that is likely to leave listeners singing along by the song’s end.
The focus track ‘The Last’ and ‘Pick Your Poison’ go back-to-back in the middle stages of the album, balancing out the strong start. Similar to ‘Happening Again’, ‘Pick Your Poison’ demonstrates HAVVK’s ability to seamlessly transition from a heavy rock intro into a gentle, melodic chorus and back again.
Perhaps the most underrated track on the album is the penultimate track ‘Backwards’. Arguably more relevant now than when initially written, Hough has said that the song reflects the re-emerging rise of intolerance and misogyny, particularly in the online world.
Time Will Kill is a striking album that balances bursts of punk energy with softer, more reflective moments throughout. The album ranges from the edge of one genre to another while maintaining an overarching theme where all eleven songs have a sense of belonging within Time Will Kill. HAVVK launched the album last night at a sold-out Anseo, with support from Cable Boy.
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