Hewit - Piecemeal EP review
The acclaimed Piecemeal EP from Ontario band Hewit
Canadian indie band Hewit are currently touring and writing new tracks for their debut album release later this year. Their stunning first EP is reviewed in full here.
Born from a collection of some of the finest musicians in Ontario, Canada, Hewit are one of these bands that, once you hear their music, you wonder why you haven’t heard more from them. Perhaps you have, without knowing it – their song Resolve was on the soundtrack to CTV’s film Playing House, and the outstanding Okay has appeared on television shows Girlstuff/Boystuff and Naturally Sadie. By appearing on these soundtracks, the band is starting to achieve the widespread recognition their music deserves. One listen to their EP Piecemeal attests to why this is.
When interviewed, Hewit have never shied away from the fact that a lot of their music is influenced by the European indie scene, and the fuller, more melodic sound that part of the world seems to offer. Lead track Lost is a prime example of this. With just the hint of British band Starsailor being audible, it’s a sterling introduction to Hewit. Vocalist Joel Auge has that rare gift – a voice at once distinctive yet immediate. Able to move from note to note effortlessly, his voice carries all before it, and lends the band their distinctive sound. An understated yet persuasive introduction to what lies ahead.
Resolve opens with a joyful guitar riff from Tony Lind, before being joined by the rest of the band in an unbridled song full of commercial viability. When you see the likes of American Idol-wannabes taking up so much airtime, you have to wonder why artists like Hewit remain undiscovered. Give this song to a band like Keane and watch the records shift, which must sometimes be galling for this multi-talented five piece.
However, it’s the third track that truly shows the injustice of the music industry today. Opening with a gentle, lilting drum track from Darryl McWaters, accompanied by the quietest of acoustic guitar, Okay is a glorious four minute example of how to write the perfect pop-rock song. With a melody straight from a Chris Columbus film, and the soaring melody that is Auge’s voice, this is an unabashed love song of immense proportions that continues to build and flourish until the very end.
Yet if Okay is perhaps the song that best typifies Hewit, then Backhanded Love Song shows yet another side to their song writing skills. Coming across like a happy mix of The Beatles and Scottish band Del Amitri, it’s a simple, feel-good, tongue-in-cheek ode to an unknown lover. With old style honky-tonk piano from keyboardist Brad Toews, it drags you in with its sheer upbeat positivity, and you feel all the better for it.
Hearing Today is a more measured piece. From the very beginning, the pounding bass lines supplied by Curtis Nahwegahbow drive this almost U2-like track. With hook after hook complemented yet again by the pitch perfect vocals of Auge, there’s a feeling that this would be Hewit’s signature tune in the live arenas they so richly deserve to be filling.
The final track on the EP is Beautiful, and it’s a perfect way to end this introduction to the band. With a sweeping sound reminiscent of the best of early Unbelievable Truth, it’s a mid-tempo ballad that never once sounds saccharine. Harmony rich, musically faultless, and performed with an earnestness that can’t help but make you appreciate.
With the news that Hewit have been in the studio recording new songs written on tour that sound even better than the collection of melodic gems on show here, it can only be a matter of time before everyone else learns about Canada’s best kept secret.
