Naomi Hates Human - S/T EP

Label: Better Weird Than Dead Release date: 26/10/2009 Website: MySpace When I read the name of this artist, I immediately connected to her. Because, at the end of the day, I hate humans too. There’s something charming and seducing about Naomi Scott, this anti-folk singer songwriter from London known by the name of Naomi Hates Human. Maybe it’s in her smoky voice, angry but at the same time smoothed by some sort of sweetness, that seems to come from far away in time and space and sounds so much older than her age. Or maybe it’s in the raw guitar riffs, catchy rhythms and passionate, politically-charged, even sarcastic at the time, lyrics. Or maybe in the perfect combination of them all. How many lives have you lived, Naomi, to sing that way, speak that way and hate humans already? Her new EP, following the promising Pipe Dreams and Lullabies from 2008, opens with ‘Heroes Like Us’, an hymn to the 20-something year-old generation of antiheroes it’s so common to find in the streets of London. In ‘Some Things Are Worth Getting Your Heart Broken For’, an hopelessly broken-hearted ballad, she puts an end to a romance singing “cos I’m not sure if this is worth it anymore”. It’s subtle yet powerful. ‘Half The Man’ is the possibly the most passionate track in the EP, it carries you away with it’s pumping bass and supercharged drums, raw power and control. ‘Tightly Choreographed Moments’ reveals all her minimalist yet rich approach to musicking, her voice bursts with emotions while she sings of a life spent “between drunkenness and sober..” to a special someone: “I could dance around you forever/until you find someone better”. She speaks the truth in a simple way. So straightforward and unapologetic it almost hurts. And it’s not surprising, as she cites Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Janis Joplin and Nina Simone among her source of inspirations (next to Saul Williams, Jeff Buckley and Bruce Springsteen, just to name a few). She’s got the fire of all these great artists from the past and present. Naomi, keep it true to yourself this way, and be careful not to burn yourself. ‘Cos even if you hate humans, we love you. What say you on this? Sound off in our Fourum!