An emerging band that won over the rock crowd of South London a few years ago, HMLTD had to go
through a tough battle before reaching the big leagues – an aborted Sony deal, etc. The band finally
managed to develop a powerful explosive concoction, packed with glam rock, punk, post-punk, goth
rock, electro, polka, 1920s German cabaret, and J-Pop/K-Pop. The blasts triggered here reveal the
generous voice of soloist Henry Spychalski, part of a lineage of flamboyant crooners that English pop-
rock has been generating for over half a century – David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, George Michael, Roland
Orzabal, Holly Johnson and so many others. Each track on West of Eden is crafted with the finest
materials: catchphrases, choruses, bridges, a peppering of clever references, careful arrangements,
loads of testosterone, all the ingredients for a perfect rock experience. As for the subjects covered, they
are at once whimsical, cartoonish and sometimes disturbing, ranging from sexual fantasy to gratuitous
hyperviolence, thematically erratic the whole way through. This is a revealing expression of our times,
both conformist and irreverent, standing out through a burst of “classic” references.
