Two seems to be the perfect number when it comes to experimental rock music: Death From Above 1979, Lightning Bolt, Japandroids, and No Age manage to make a lot of noise for two-person bands, and Hella is no exception.
Local metal/post hardcore duo Partners in Crime follows this tradition by creating intricate songs with weird time signatures.
"I'd never heard anything like this," says Mike, the band's drummer, "I was starting to get away from normal music, like a lot of that more digestible 4/4 music. I started venturing out into that weird world of stuff. This was the first band that kind of opened my eyes to bands like this, Tera Melos, Dysrhythmia, Lightning Bolt..."
"I really like Hella. There's just something about their music where you want to figure it out. You want to figure out what the patterns are," says Andrew, the guitarist, "It sounds so disorienting, and then you break it down and you understand it on a logical basis. That's why I got into it.
Partners in Crime's musical style isn't too far off from Hella's techniques. "A lot of the stuff is based on...I wouldn't say math metal, but it's very percussive-driven as far as a lot of really staccato, intricate patterns looped over each other and then cut up," says Mike.
You can hear Partners in Crime's original material as part of a free download on Bandcamp.
We swung by Partners in Crime's practice at Anon Studios after the presidential debate to hear the duo's take on "Biblical Violence." Partners in Crime are scheduled to open for Dysrhythmia at Tempe Tavern on Friday, November 2.
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See our Take Cover archives for more Arizona bands taking on national songs.
