Tales from the Deep

LOUIS HARDY AND MAX HARPER TALK 27 MILES UNDERWATER, THE SECOND OUTING BY U.K. HARDCORE SQUAD HIGHER POWER. BUT WAIT — ARE THEY REALLY HARDCORE?

- Brad Angle

“WE COME FROM hardcore, but I don’t think of us as a hardcore band,” says Higher Power guitarist Louis Hardy. “I don’t listen to it and think this sounds like hardcore music. I just think of it as a rock band.”

One spin of the Leeds, England-based crew’s excellent new sophomore record, 27 Miles Underwater, and you’ll immediately hear what Hardy is talking about — and why their genre-defying sound has made Higher Power one of the most exciting new acts in hardcore punk. Take opener “Seamless,” for example, which kicks off with a crushing, groove-heavy riff and seething vocals before transitioning into a massive, dreamy Deftones-meets-Jane’s Addiction chorus. Higher Power explore this hook-filled, crossover sound throughout the album’s remaining 10 cuts — pushing the boundaries of traditional hardcore while staying firmly true to its spirit.

“Because [our] approach to writing catchy rock songs comes from a DIY hardcore mentality, it has a lot more integrity than just sitting down and [saying], ‘Let’s produce a big pop song… a catchy song that means nothing,’” Hardy says. “We’re so heavily invested, emotionally, and we’ve sacrificed so much to make the band work… The passion for it… everyone is living it.”