Singles

Naomi Hates Humans - Naomi Hates Humans EP

Richard Wink 24/11/2009

Rating: 3/5

There is no such thing as misanthropy. Even in the age of Apathy, one needs the company of others, you might dislike people, or even despise certain individuals but most of the time you're projecting an inner self loathing, and basically being a moody git.

Or so I've been told.

'Half The Man' opens with the hint of a snarl, and you begin to think that maybe Naomi Scott, who possesses the kind of voice that sounds like she's been smoking twenty-a-day for the last decade truly represents the name of her band.

'Tightly Choreographed Moments' though atmospheric in the backroom of a gloomy bar sense doesn't quite click. The first half of the EP underwhelms, pedestrian might be an apt word, the songs suit a velvet lounge, overly laid back, morose but empty.

'Heroes Like Us' however quivers with hope, a faint streak of amber light that pokes through the curtains, country barn guitars combine well with Scott's husky tones, as she laments about everyday people that get lost in the hustle and bustle of the city. 'Some Things Are Worth Getting Your Heart Broken For' glides on the mist of mournful romanticism, soulful and tense, the track works because she sings it like she means it.

Naomi Scott seems like a skeletal cross between PJ Harvey and Jeff Buckley, by that I mean without the OTT theatrics, there is nothing on this EP that screams “Wow!” from the top of an imposing rooftop, no identifiable undeniable sense of character. But what you can appreciate from this short collection are the green shoots from a skilled songwriter that protrude boldly in the latter half.