Halogyns: “What You Want” – an incredibly captivating affair
The single, “What You Want” is a perfect example of collective of talented women who could take anyone’s random words in any context and turn them into a beautiful, thought seeking melody with little effort. The Halogyns is an all-girl, alt-rock band from St. George, Utah, made up of Kamry Thelin (Vocals, Guitars, Keys), Dana Fontaine (Guitar, Vocals) and Mari Ericksen (Drums, Vocals). The band’s basic sound is very immediate, bright and upbeat, also catchy and very singable. Their tracks feature a good bit of jangly guitar sound, transposed into an edgy alt-rock setting. The overall production, although touched by a glistening, ethereal quality, is neat and uncomplicated. Each track is wrapped up and presented as a very well-planned gift. There is little wasted time or space. Qualities that mainstream radio stations and music charts will no doubt adore.
The opening vocal bars quickly brings the record to a driven and commanding start, the vocals smoothly and searchingly soaring above the punchy drums and shimmering guitars. Lead singer Kamry Thelin says exactly what she means, revealing exactly how she feels, and delivering it all with her innate vocal prowess.
These all come together, to gorgeously and hauntingly infect the track, and renders “What You Want” an incredibly captivating affair. The song is beautiful orchestrated, building up as the emotion swells, the epic bridges streaming in one glorious blaze before the chorus kicks in and the track reaches climactic levels.
It is very hard to really make your emotions be heard in a powerful way without being melodramatic, but the Halogyns manage to do it in every song, and they certainly succeed here again. “What You Want” is a masterpiece of emotion, drawing every single word and sound straight from the Halogyns’ hearts, in an almost unassuming manner.
It is a great sonic representation of what the band can achieve within the alt-rock genre. “What You Want” is earnest and true without feeling forced. The production and balancing on the track also shines in this aspect, making sure the drums give you that deep satisfying pulse in your chest without overriding the guitars.
Too many bands of the Halogyns ilk are trapped under pointless clichés and poorly-done instrumentation and lyrics, and no matter how many people enjoy them it’s simply impossible to say glowing things about these bands in a well-written review that people will respect.
What’s excellent about the Halogyns, then, is that it’s a band a critic can genuinely enjoy, and it’s easy to say good things about them. For starters, considering we’re in the digital keyboard age, the guitar work is excellent. And even more importantly, the songwriting is compelling. Everything about the band sounds fascinating and fresh.
At the most basic level, Kamry Thelin’s stellar voice is enough to make the Halogyns attractive listen. But the immersive layers of guitars create some impressive soundscapes that permeate their songs, and it adds a whole new element to their music.
Plus, songwriter Thelin clearly has a knack for writing catchy choruses that stick and keep you coming back again and again. All in all, “What You Want” is an impressive track from a young band that looks to make significant waves in the future.
