Whisper Hiss

Reviews

Whisper Hiss Shake Me Awake cassette

Portland, Oregon, garage pop quartet WHISPER HISS recently released the Shake Me Awake cassette, their first proper full-length. Rocking similarly to DC band SLANT 6, and with familiar harmonies that recall sounds from BLONDIE and the EXPLODING HEARTS, it would be silly to not give this tape a try. Poppy as all get-out, Shake Me Awake slides around the rock spectrum with bits that surf and meld with fuzzy-toned edges. “Trouble in the Mansion” feels like a dystopian dream from the ’60s, then “Party Dress” kicks in with a sort of riot grrrl bend. In all, it’s a good time through and through.

Whisper Hiss Everything Must Go EP

You know, their band name pretty much hits the nail on the head on how I would define their sound. Soft as a whisper, with the wheeze of a hiss. Heavy on feels, WHISPER HISS offer up soft-edged darkwave post-punk, that’s dark with a heady innuendo of uncertainty. All the melodies are carried by synth and thick bass, and guitar is absent to their binary sound that is only punctuated with vocals. And I’ll be honest, I was waiting for them to really bite into it, or perhaps unravel, but they stayed steady on a slow-weaving and steady course with “Everything Must Go,” “Telepathy,” and “Undone.” The only song that seemed to veer into looser, weirder, and more screamy territory was “Wake-Up Call,” which of course is always well-received on my end. Very chill post-wave punk for these Portlanders.