Grimm Grimm – Hazy Eyes Maybe

Sparse, infectious dream-folk opus...

Koichi Yamanoha, former frontman of the cult psych-punk outfit Screaming Tea Party and long-time friend and collaborator of Bo Ningen, has taken a new, sparse direction with solo project Grimm Grimm, and debut album 'Hazy Eyes Maybe'.

The London-based artist has already received praise from the likes of My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, who liked Grimm Grimm so much he released one of their earlier singles on his own label.

In part inspired by Yamanoha's fascination with deserted places and love of classical music, 'Hazy Eyes Maybe' is awash with reverb-laden folksy guitars. The title track is a bleached out, shoegazey masterpiece, sprawling across the album's 42 minutes (fairly short for an LP of this genre).

Those who've seen Grimm Grimm live as of late will recognise many of the tracks, including stellar opener 'Kazega Fuitara Sayonara'. Standout moments include 'Tell The Truth', a gentle, swooping track, with looping guitars and sighing vocals, and 'Teleportation', a "space folk" cut reminiscent of traditional Japanese sokyoku.

On the surface, 'Hazy Eyes Maybe' might seem a simple, acoustic album, but scrape beneath the surface and there lies intricately crafted layers of mournful, morphing, melancholic hooks.

8/10

Words: Megan White

– – –

– – –

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.