Highly Suspect Is Guilty of Rock With a Sawed Off Edge

Upon listening to Brooklyn threesome's Highly Suspect's "Lydia", I get that cold chill which could only come from hearing octave climbing guitar applied at its juiciest. You're hearing hard rock sawed to its harshest nub. Johnny Stephens packs some artfully agitated pipes, particularly when he gets his guitar cranking at a mind-melting level. Rich Meyer does bass justice. The stay hungry look curves coupled with ample testosterone makes his bass growl much like an angry dog does after too many whacks with a stiff stick. Ryan Meyer drums as if his next breath depended on it. The fervor clings to your bones and refuses to give much traction. Also, there's a dreamy spot where the core components pretty much fade away and the slightest trace of sound keeps us on the appropriate path. You figure the ominous smoke hovering over the tune get its start from the direction the lyrics point to right from the get-go. Throw in black ocean up top and you can be pretty sure we're not zeroing in on a song that's destined to turn that frown upside down. Johnny assumes an apparent role as a shark who's hungry, fast, and merciless, three things a shark must be if it wants to keep breathing. In this psychodrama up pops the only girl who could talk to him. Alas, she couldn't swim. At the forefront Johnny imbues his playing with the drowning in the undertow vibe derived from someone for whom breathing has grown increasingly difficult. Brash youth takes the spotlight in the second verse. For Johnny said point in the life cycle represented his better days. From there we're treated to Johnny's barbaric rise in frustrations. This couples nicely with the decidedly minor chord guitar selection. As tonsil flashers go Johnny allots the attitude that makes Brooklyn the sassy locale we've heard about. You could liken the guitar octave climb with an instrument breathing, a guitar huff and puff if that's the comparison you're high on. It's trying to pump out whatever mojo is on display to get it up those stairs. Shark surfaces as the featured animal but angry wolf makes greater sense. Does Ryan drum to impress? No. I'd say economy's the word to look out for. Enough stick wizardry to enchant but not so much that you believe he's showing off just to flaunt his talent in our faces. Harley keyed up and ready to rev. "Lydia" for all the world appears to be an exciter that would surely be an excellent fit for smoke-filled lounges populated by folks coupling that habit with an alluring alcohol buzz. Verse two presents us with what has to be the first time tears were colored black. Dark mood equals dark location on the color wheel. It's bad enough she's crying she's also tied to the tracks. Not only harsh but cruelly so. The third chorus shows our male lead aiming for the sun, gun cocked. How jarringly dramatic but to outstanding effect. "Lydia" the song can be described similarly. Highly Suspect earns the right to inspire repeated listens. "Lydia" is one eye appealing lady.