Here is another stunning band that I would probably have missed entirely if it wasn’t July already – a holiday season in terms of new album releases, that is – and I’ve had plenty of time to dig into the record crates for quality releases. HIROE is a five-piece instrumental rock outfit from Philadelphia, USA, and their debut full-length album “Wield” was released just barely before this year’s Tuska Festival, on June 20th, 2025, via Pelagic Records. Thus, I almost missed it. Although HIROE is a relatively new band in the post-rock circles, its members are seasoned veterans with years of experience, even some past successes with various projects. Drawing inspiration from post-rock greats such as MOGWAI, CASPIAN, and PELICAN, the band also cites indie bands such as SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE, as well as big household names such as RADIOHEAD and DEFTONES as influences. The list of influences would be enough to make me prick my ears but I chanced to stumble upon their song “Collider” on Spotify and it really hit a sweet spot. Mixing the heavy riffs of PELICAN, the melancholy crescendos of post-rock, and the gloomy shades of many a DEFTONES classic, the album stands out as a strong entrée into a genre that’s pretty oversaturated with mediocre doodling already. HIROE‘s absolute strong point is their sense of melody. Instead of merely repeating mathy riffs and clichéd chord progressions ad nauseam, this Philly band knows how to write strong, evocative melodies. If I got it right, the band’s music is largely written by one of their three guitarists, Eric Kusanagi, which might explain why the overall musical vision is so concise and clear.
The album opens with the atmospheric calmness of “The Calm,” resonating with the air of some of the more ambient cuts from GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT. The song serves as an almost 5-minute intro to the heavier riffs that rule the rest of the album. If you think of the first two songs like this, as though they were one 13-minute epic, the balance between the heavy, almost post-metal-esque riffs and the lush, ethereal sections might trigger nice flashbacks of the Australian post-metal outfit, MENISCUS, from 15 years ago. The thing is, the second track, “Tides,” gears up riffs that come off surprisingly heavy, almost bordering on BLACK SABBATH-esque stoner rock, or even post-metal. While post-rock is traditionally all about atmospheric guitar textures, HIROE is not afraid of dropping heavy riffs and power chords that sound as though having been marinated in the early-1970s Birmingham air.
The third track on the album is THAT song. The 10-minute epic, “Collider,” kicks off with a somewhat unusual modus operandi – for a post-rock song, that is. I’ve heard riffs this heavy only on RUSSIAN CIRCLES and PELICAN albums before. Two guitars play a harmonized ostinato motif while the third guitar steamrolls forward with a heavy power-chord riff. Soon the songs takes off on a more familiar post-rock tangent – and the contrast between the heavy intro and the web of interlocking, atmospheric guitar textures is just beautiful! The intro motif is revisited later in the song – and to a resonant effect, too! The song’s coda explodes into a maelstrom of emotion as per the conventions of the genre – clichéd, perhaps, but oh, so effective!
As usual, the longer epics are the songs that captivate the listener. It sure helps that the melodies are straight-up heart-crushing and the sounds are sublime. I’m not sure who mixed this album, but the band has worked with world-class names before, so I reckon the guy must have known what he was doing. Nothing less would do for this band, I think. First, “Dancing at the End of the World” is a 7-minute journey into emotion with the song’s opening guitar motif being pure ear candy. Lucky for us, the band is biding its time with the melancholy melody, so we get to hear it for almost 2 minutes straight. Sandwiched between this long-form treatise on haunting post-rock soundscapes and the closer is a short, almost stoner-like riffer, “The Crush.” Then, the closer, “I’ve Been Waiting For You All My Life” is another sublime epic, clocking in at 9 minutes. It is just the perfect way to close a brilliant album like this.
Pelagic Records is a label renowned for its quality control, so it speaks volumes that they have signed HIROE to their artist roster. The band truly is a skilled quintet in exploring emotions and telling compelling stories without words. Founded in 2020, the band is a relatively new addition to the pantheon of post-rock luminaries, but with their vibrant debut being of this superb caliber, they have surely deserved their place among the greatest of the greats.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- The Calm
- Tides
- Collider
- Dancing at the End of the World
- The Crush
- I’ve Been Waiting For You All My Life
Lineup
Eric Kusanagi – guitars
TJ Schilling – guitars
Jeff Dent – guitars
Mike Norris – drums
Jill Paslier – bass
Label
Pelagic Records
