Hikes Blends Rural And Urban Sounds On “Onset”

The Austin band is making math-rock outdoorsy.

May 02, 2017
Hikes Blends Rural And Urban Sounds On “Onset” Jinni J

Hikes, a band from Austin, Texas, have made it very clear they're inspired primarily by the outdoors — the project's name, for one. Songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Nathan James Wilkins was raised near the Ozark mountains, and, as the music business is conducted out of big cities, that rural-urban contrast got Wilkins thinking. The result is "Onset," which throws technical-minded math-rock beats against expansive and dulcet folksy chords, to great effect.

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"This song is about feeling the constant noise and hustle of the city, and its affect on me," Wilkins wrote to The FADER in an email. "Growing up hiking and camping in the Ozarks forged an inner peace in me that has gotten quieter over the years. A lot of our songs explore the tension between city and nature; work and play. I had workshopped the song back home in the Ozarks, but when I presented it to the band, it really blossomed into something wonderful! I finished the lyrics in peace under a ginkgo tree the morning before recording in one of the largest cities in the world, Tokyo." Listen to "Onset" below.

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Japan tour dates

June 16 - Shibuya @ Cyclone*
June 20 - Nara @ Neverland*
June 21 - Kyoto @ Gattaca*
June 23 - Nagoya @ Jammin*
June 25 - Osaka @ Hokage*
June 29 - Kobe @ Arthouse^^
June 30 - Kyoto @ Growly^^
July 1 - Machida @ Nuttys^^
July 2 - Shinjuku @ Live Freak^^

*= w/ The Fall Of Troy
^^= w/ Staghorn

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Lilt is out June 9 on Community Records. Preorder it here.
Hikes Blends Rural And Urban Sounds On “Onset”