Hand Helds- Self-Titled

( Performed by Hand Helds, 2024)

(Over the course of these two EPs, S/T, and the decidedly more avant-garde 3),

New York experimental electro-rockers HAND HELDS grip the mantle as one of the Big Apple’s ‘next big things!’ HAND HELDS is a band of immense force and sonic character, wielding an impressive arsenal of snarled vocals, gnarly guitar runs, maniacal hi-hatted hijinks, groovy rhythmic bass thumps, and oscillating direct currents working overtime.

Electronic soundscapes pierce the ear like so many New York highrises scrape the skies, transmitting a vast-yet-densely produced haven for electronic zaps, richly textured found sound collages, and all out punk fury. Reminiscent of New York’s own experimental pranksters Silver Apples, the paranoid immediacy of scenester impresarios Devo, the cold, distant eccentricity of Flying Lizards, and with a touch of warmth from overheating industrial Krautrock electronics, all performed with a Death Grippian disregard for convention, HAND HELDS are as blissfully intoxicating as they are brutally destructive, harnessing these disparate influences into a wholly original new sound.

Standout Track: Track Three from Hand Helds – “Neon” – After two pulverizing tracks of increasing intensity, “Neon” finds some space and comes up for air, delivering a chilled-out, bass-y groove underneath a hauntingly warbled vocal performance, resulting in a brisk psychedelic garage rocker that would make Julian Cope blush.