Hidden In Plain View

Animal [7-inch] (2015)

Jon

Through Hidden In Plain View’s progression, Animal kind of makes sense. The 7-inch takes a major turn for the band, one that is much more atmospheric and less interesting. It lacks the overall intricacy and intensity that the band put into their previous releases. It seems like instead of trying to incorporate new tones into their sound, HIPV did the opposite and the result became Animal.

The band leaves a lot of blank spaces to fill in when it comes to their first release in eight years. “No Way Out” is the one song that comes the closest to matching pre-hiatus HIPV. The song has an energetic chorus that Joe Reo’s voice shines on, the lyrics are crafted into fashion and it has raw feeling and emotion. Reo’s voice has been filtered, which add a much thicker vocal sound on this EP.

The B-side’s only song, “Self-Inflicted,” has the aggression and feel of an HIPV song, but for more than half of the eight-minute song, the song drags into generic territory. It almost sounds like a Linkin Park chorus. Not to say that the song is bad, but recreating their sound was most likely difficult or not desired for the band. The interlude of “Self-Inflicted” eventually leads to a disappointing ending after two minutes of atmospheric tones turn into faint screaming.

Overall, Hidden In Plain View’s shifting sound on their first release in eight years is somewhat of a slump. The album sounds much bigger and susceptible to a larger audience, which may anger older fans. The EP takes small ideas the band previously experimented with and puts them in the foreground. Clearly the band didn’t reunite to rewrite the same records, but the songs don’t quite represent Hidden In Plain View's true and honest potential.