Hiatus Kaiyote: By Fire
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Hiatus Kaiyote: By Fire

After receiving praise from the likes of Prince, Pharrell Williams and Flying Lotus, there isn’t really a point in questioning whether the band’s new EP, By Fire, will be any good. As the answer is a sure-fire yes.
Title track ‘By Fire’ has already received a bit of airplay on triple j, and with it’s slightly manic, unnerving undertones at the start of the track it warms up as soon as Nai Palm’s vocals come in. There is so much power and sass behind her vocals that there isn’t really much else needed in the track aside from a simple steady beat, which is more than delivered in the track.
Short and sweet, ‘Laputa’ clocks in at just over two minutes. Again with Nai Palm’s vocals at the forefront, her voice takes on the quality of something you’d hear from singers in the ’30s or ’40s, something that’s hard to come by nowadays. The song’s a quirky number, a bit like something you’d hear from Bjork or Fiona Apple.
‘Molasses’, much like the substance, is sugary sweet and Nai Palm’s vocals flow through the song like syrup. It’s one of those tunes where you can’t help but bop your head to. For a three-track EP it leaves you wanting more of the Hiatus Kaiyote’s soothing tunes, but maybe that was the plan all along?
By Amanda Sherring