Hvmvn is a solo DIY project of Mexico based musician Mauricio A. Their latest release “Fear the Future” is a dark and foreboding collection of post-punk and dream pop that warns us of what’s to come while harnessing the music of a retro past. This is an album that can easily draw you in and immerse you in its world. A digital reverie that feels haunting in its stark realness, as we find ourselves lost with its mass of screen-addicted inhabitants, all wishing for hope and escape.
Fear the Future is inherently dark – with gloomy sounds and electronic beats that feels somber and melancholic, like you’re stuck in the void of an MS-DOS command console and not knowing the next step. Hvmvn has clearly crafted something deliberate, with each song and/or instrumental transitioning seamlessly with each other while displaying his own skills as an artist.
Opening track “Arje” serves as a portal into the album’s realm – one that replaces the organic with the synthetic, where swelling sounds gradually pull us into the terrifying void that is the future. “Endless Race” and “Loss of Hope” are the first songs with lyrics on them. Classic goth-tinged post punk that illustrates the slowly decaying situations most of us live in. Although lonely in their overall mood, the glimmering riffs and groovy rhythms mark these both as definite bangers.
On the second half “Fractal” is one of the stronger instrumentals, where synths coalesce into a crystalline cave that’s both haunting and beautiful – all expressed through evolving sonic movements. “Negative Priming” is another highlight, where Hvmvn dives into the fabric of our societies systems – one that keeps encroaching on our freedoms and stripping us of our nature: “Even if you think you’ll be the only one who won’t disappear / They will try to turn your mind off.” The rhythms are cold but the harmonies are sympathetic, cutting through the dark strings and pushing through the crowd for a glimpse of hope.
Fear the Future harnesses the sounds of the past to shed light on the present and further on to our foreboding future. With strong melodies and even stronger emotions Hvmvn has achieved what the greats of post-punk have, to craft an album that makes us think and feel at the same time.
