ALBUM REVIEW: CLEARING -Hyd

Album. Of. The. Year. Last year to be exact. After years of no released music, Hyd began releasing some singles in 2021 before they put out their album clearing mid-November of 2022. There has not been an album that has come out in recent times that has stuck in my head more than this album. Hyd may just be the divine ruler of melodies! The album begins with trust, with hyds light airy voice over a dark and what I would call gritty beat. As the album progresses, the tunes further wedge into your brain. Hyd has an incredibly unique way of using their voice that I don’t think is given enough credit. It’s as if they manipulate the air beyond what is coming out of their lungs. In interviews hyd has mentioned two major inspirations for this album- air and water. Two simple things we take for granted. Something I did not know about hyd until just a week or two ago was that they were temporarily blind for a while during the process of making a lot of these songs. It changed how I listen to this album. In the same interview I mentioned before, hyd talked about how when they went blind it felt as if they were introduced to a new world that has always been there, but their vision distracted them from it. That really opened my eyes, or closed them, to the world that lies beyond our vision. That world is all around hyds music. Between the whisperings of “clear” and the angelic wailings during the song Glass, hyd fully embraces bringing the hidden world of air and water into their music. Our vision keeps us from seeing just how dynamic air and water are and how to manipulate it. If I had to choose a favorite song from this album, I don’t think I could. But i will say bright light, oil + honey, and breaking ground are fighting for their spot for number 1. I find myself constantly having melodies from this album in my head, melodies unlike any other I’ve heard. “You don’t want me, it’s so clear, said don’t trample on my heart I’ll only fall apart some more” is one of the most dynamic sounding vocal lines I’ve heard. I can’t wait to see what hyd has in store for us next as they explore different parts of life and sonically analyze them in ways nobody else can. 10/10