Twelve Days in June - Hiraeth (self-released)

While there is no denying that “Numb,” the opening track on Hiraeth, the fourth album from Twelve Days in June leans in heavily to some grungy, nineties alt-rock vibes, as is always the way, it is the other sonics that are blended in, that process of genre-hopping, the creation of a sonic melting pot and cross-pollination, that makes the music its own, unique beast. In the case of this initial salvo, it is the intricate mesh of guitar work that balances out the sonic onslaught and the dark, almost gothic undercurrents that underpin the sound. But that is just one example of the clever creative forces at work here.

Not everything even relies on such big musical punches. “The Sea is a Wishing Well” may use them to great effect but does so sparingly, and the verses run on more delicate balances, the perfect ebb and flow for a song that plays with poetic and environmental imagery. And “The Day I Learned Your Name” takes things even further, an almost pop-aware piece woven of shimmering cascades of guitar and occasionally cocooned in bigger, shoegaze textures, and also a brilliant reminder of just what a rich and resonant voice Dave Hulegaard has.

But if you are a fan of music that is both big AND clever, the one for you is “The Bittersweet Season” a song built of the same post-grunge gravitas as bands such as Stiltskin revelled in.

More melodic than mere grunge. Smarter than your average alt-rock. As soundscaping as the best shoegazery. And the best moments even find Hiraeth walking that fine line between rock energy and pop accessibility in a brilliant display of muscle and melody, it’s a mercurial and marvelous album, and the same can be said about the man behind the music.

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