12 Shots of Nature by Hard Copy

Despite its limitations as an audio medium, experimental music often seeks to transcend from the sonic to the visual. Recognizable atmospheric sounds and bold expositional lyrics can elevate a piece from something that’s meant to be heard to something that’s meant to be imagined. And 4-piece post-punk outfit Hard Copy’s new release 12 Shots of Nature does just that. No-wave compositions are characterized with highly textured instrumentals to create an auditory augmented reality. Throughout each of its 12 tracks, this record shifts between the perspectives of an oddball cast. On the track “Caravaggio”, the world is painted in shadow and drama through the eyes of a Renaissance painter. Exploring barbed wire fences and drainage pipes, the song “Stray Dog” features looping basslines that induce the feeling of chasing ones own tail. The final song “Pile of Rocks” dances with ideas around the futility of colonization and ownership over nature, a fitting conclusion to this collection of caricatures. Whether you come for the clicky, crunchy percussion and groovy post-funk sound, or for the quirky storytelling, 12 Shots of Nature demands attention from all of the senses. 

- Kalen