100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 14: Hi Crime

Please check out Verity Credit Union, our great partner in the 100 Bands in 100 Days local music showcase.

Artwork by Seattle-area painter E.R. Saba

Music fans of the Pacific Northwest, get ready for our fifth annual year-end daily local music showcase, 100 Bands in 100 Days, where every day until December 31st, we’re showcasing a new band or artist you have to know about, once again presented by Verity Credit Union.

Make sure you are checking the #100Bands100Days hashtag on Twitter on a daily basis to stay on top of all the bands featured and be sure to follow Verity and NW_Music_Scene there. Some days the featured act could be an established and locally-adored northwest-based musician and other times they could be a band with a small following that just hasn’t had their deserved time in the spotlight yet. Either way, we’re fairly confident you can come away from this daily segment with plenty of new favorites. Today’s featured artist is Hi Crime.


About the band: 

Hi Crime is a Seattle based indie/dream/pop group that began as a recording project between Brielle Rutledge and Mitch Etter. The duo met in Summer 2015 and quickly began work on what would become their first release. The “Foreign Hours EP” was written, recorded, and mixed entirely in the duo’s bedrooms over the Fall months while Rutledge finished college, commuting back every few weeks to record.

The duo expanded in early 2017 to prepare for the band’s first live shows. The expanded lineup provided a burst of new songs and energy, propelling them into work for their debut full length album, The Kids Still Got It, released on June 29, 2018.

We recently reviewed the new album and here’s some of what we had to say:

The record wastes no time ramping up with the incredibly catchy, “A Moment Too Soon,” an old meets new 80’s era pop jam that plays congruously with the rest of the album and stands alone as their lead single. Songwriters Rutledge and Etter give us an honest song about self-protection and potential abuse. Rutledge croons “just another knife in the back/the blood is dry to my shirt” and later she’s “sneaking out the door in my combat boots/ready, running.” The song is incredibly approachable and technical and would not seem out of place in heavy rotation on mainstream top 40 or at the top of a trending indie/rock playlist.

The album hits a midpoint with “Japan,” a diary entry about travelling and memories of a summer fling. The tune begins modestly with light  instrumentation but evolves into a four on the floor ballad equipped with viola, ukulele and synths. The song ebbs and flows with the feeling of Maggie Rodgers covering Fleetwood Mac. The lovely balladry of “Japan” is thrown out the window by the pop/club hit “Paralyzed,” a beautiful and seductive song about being, well, paralyzed. Dense layering of entwined instrumentation that calls upon various genres including hip-hop inspired high hat triplets. The song ends with strong lyrics that wouldn’t seem out of place tattooed on various travelers and searchers, “now I can see the truth/I feel it in my bones that anywhere is home.”

Listen to and/or purchase this new fantastic album on Bandcamp HERE. This band is definitely one to keep your eyes and ears on.



Catch them live:

They’ll be playing on October 14 show at a secret location for Sofar Sounds. Get more show information HERE.


Listen:


Find the band at:

Bandcamp

Facebook

Spotify

Instagram


Submissions for 100 Bands in 100 Days are still open to any Pacific Northwest band interested in submitting. If you would like to submit for a chance to be featured in this segment, consult this link for more information on how you can do so.


A huge shoutout to Verity Credit Union for doing so much for the music community and for being such a great partner. 

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