If there's one band that's all-too familiar with that good old quintessentially Irish trait - begrudgery - it's Humanzi. Amongst the flurry of new young bands who have signed major label deals over the past year or so, (Director, The Blizzards, The Marshals), the inking of a deal with Universal offshoot Polydor - and subsequent false allegations of a €1 million payoff - made Humanzi whipping boys for the unsigned/bitterly crap/delete as applicable bands of Dublin's cliquey music community. Pushing the scurrilous rumours aside, the northside four-piece led by the militant Shaun Mulrooney, set off to record their debut offing; yet, once more, persistent gossip tailed their progress: that they had intended to record it in New York, but their label refused to fund it; that the finished product was being scrapped because it wasn't good enough; that there was trouble in the management camp. If anything, Humanzi have come out of the whole experience more resilient and vociferous than ever, an attribute that's attested to throughout the belligerent entirety of Tremors. The Dubliners' concoction of euphoric punk, dark electro-rock and astringent dance beats immediately sets them apart from their local contemporaries, something the UK press have enthusiastically picked up on; and, although theirs is very clearly not an original style or sound, the sheer enthusiasm of the thunderous yelp of Diet Pills and Magazines, the sloganeering discordance and unrelenting energy of Get Your Shit Together or the affected Ian Curtis-nihilism of Song for Understanding is disarmingly likeable. With Long Time Coming, they've produced a candidate for Irish single of the year, all jarring guitars and irritatingly catchy electro-sodden hooks; whereas I Want Silence's eerily retro resonance pays unwitting homage to 80s indie faves The Cult and Depeche Mode. Indubitably, some of the tracks on Tremors are overlong and perhaps also overly ambitious, it may take three, four or even five listens for Humanzi's sound to sink into your bones, but the payoff is ultimately rewarding. They certainly need to expand their repertoire if they're to develop and fulfil their potentially huge impact - but as debut albums go, this is a damned fine effort.
