My favorite time of year is here: cool autumn air, hoodies, bonfires, long-sleeve band T-shirts and of course, Halloween. While you can catch me in all black clothes most any time of the year, spooky season is the time of year I feel most at home. That feeling requires a solid soundtrack of atmospheric and goth-indebted tunes.
Thankfully, I don’t have to look very far to find exciting new bat vibes. Moline, Illinois’ The House Flies worship at the altar of Robert Smith and all the good indie, shoegaze and alternative sounds that inspire fishnets and black eyeliner. Their first full length album, Mannequin Deposit (out now on Wilhelm & Sons Entertainment) brings these elements together for a romp into dusky shadows and chilly winds beneath neon signs.
The three-piece band is composed of Alex Riggen (guitar, vocals), Ozzie Woods (bass), and Nick Pompou (drums) who studiously weave their sonic threads into a shimmering cloak that is familiar, yet distinct. “She Hums Mozart” is a strong lead track with a perfectly reverbed guitar lick that immediately made me think of Disintegration-era The Cure. The drums play an upbeat, mid-tempo rhythm while the bass slinks in the background. Riggen’s vocals are less dramatic than Smith or Ian Curtis, but still more forward than shoegaze acts like My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive. He does deliver an easily hummable melody reminiscent of ’90s alt rock.
The following track, “Sequin” delivers post-punk low-ends and blaring guitars over syncopated snare beats, overall feeling more raw and pronounced than its predecessor. “Twilight Eyes” follows suit with synth bass, drums that march through the murk and guitars reminiscent of the Sisters Of Mercy. This is my favorite track on the album, but I am a sucker for brooding.
“Queen Underground” and “Hounds” are more upbeat endeavors showcasing pop sensibilities before “Apple” takes us back into the midnight drive.
“Morrow” picks up the pace again before the closing track stops the show with The House Flies’ longest and darkest song. “Ghosts Will Speak Again” carries Joy Division-esque vibes over its eight-minute run time. The guitars and intensity crescendo like slow waves of inevitable apparitions in a haunted mansion.
Mannequin Deposit is a promising debut from a band that scratches a deep-seeded itch within my soul. The part of me that has always been a closet goth is happy with these sounds, though not overly punk, industrial or new wave, The House Flies carry catchy, melodic, yet dark tunes through the basement cobwebs and into the daylight.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s September 2024 issue.
