Ester Poly – Wet LP (Hummus Records)

Here’s another recent release by Hummus Records, a record label based in La Chaux De Fonds, Switzerland. For those who’re not familiar with the activities of this record label, Hummus Records usually releases experimental artists, but the entire catalog is surprisingly good. I had the privilege to listen and review a decent amount of their vinyl records, and so far, I didn’t stumble upon a bad release. It seems the label carefully picks who they’ll work with, and I can only give them props for their work so far. Wet by Ester Poly is one of their recent releases, published on August 20th. Ester Poly is a Swiss duo that emanates from Zurich and Geneva. As far as I am informed, the duo has a debut full-length album released back in 2017.

Therefore, Wet is their second full-length material that carries nine compositions plus two remixes. Both Hummus Records and Ester Poly heavily promoted this material with singles, such as Wet, Respect My Speck, and She’s Somewhere. Ester Poly is all about experimentation, improvisation, clever assembling, but each composition arrives as a compact, rock-solid structure. The duo incorporates calmy segments where both bass guitar and drums form a continuous sequence that may appear hypnotic to some listeners. Nevertheless, all these segments contain a decent amount of various electronic improvisations that range from ambient and drone to experimental noise and glitch. Still, you may hear some more aggressive sequences, especially as the album proceeds. That only speaks about the versatile musicianship of both Martina Berther and Béatrice Graf. Both are more than significant cogs in machinery called Ester Poly, and every tiny bit performed by these two experienced musicians represents pure artistry.

The amount of genres involved in their music goes beyond comprehension. You may stumble upon nearly every important genre connected with the underground music scene. Ester Poly incorporates the elements of experimental noise, glitch, electronica, ambient, drone, free improvisation, riot grrrl, new wave, post-punk, punk rock, noise rock, but you’ll probably notice even more genres involved as you dig deeper into the album. These ingredients are vividly hearable through various electronic maneuvers, thoughtfully assembled basslines, and excellent drumming performance. The lead vocals are transmitting meaningful lyrics and adding a bit of aggression over the top. The lyrics encourage the empowerment of women, emancipation of women, women’s rights, but also criticize contemporary society about various issues. Besides a fresh and unique approach to music, Ester Poly forces the listeners to use their heads and fight for a life in a better society. Wet comes on vinyl and compact disc, but it is also available on streaming platforms. Head over to Hummus Records for more detailed information about ordering.