Hive Mind EP

August 1st, 2011

Formats: MP3

Release Date: March 11, 2011

Black Party Politics, a band that hails from Los Angeles, offers an unmistakable brand of L.A. alternative/heavy rock that “converges all the colors and hues of their respective influences into a dense unmistakable and inescapable Black.” At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the band for run-of-the-mill gilded butterflies looking for nothing but radio singles—they have more glamour shots of themselves online than they have songs. But don’t give up on BPP just yet. Give their Hive Mind EP a close listen and you might find yourself entertained. The EP features 3 songs and 2 radio-edits. The band offers a mix of heavily distorted guitar riffs and hip-hop influenced drum rhythms combined with soulful vocals. By far, the track “MK Ultra” is one of the better songs, featuring a strong vocal performance by lead singer Eddie Henry. The following live performance of “MK Ultra” shows how tight and well-rehearsed the band is, and the drummer plays with some serious gusto:

Black Party Politics’ full length album is scheduled for release in October, with a CD release party planned for L.A. in addition to a Southwest tour. Assuming they continue to fine-tune their rock/soul sound for the album, I’m sure it will be a hit amongst the alternative rock and Afro-Punk crowds. Let’s hope the rest of the country will finally have an opportunity to experience this up and coming band.

Reviewed by Sebastian Ramirez

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Review Genre(s): Popular, Rock, and Misc.