Prince Daddy & The Hyena’s “Adult Summers” [Review]

I only recently started listening to Prince Daddy & The Hyena. While a few of their tracks have snuck their way into whatever algorithmically generated mix I was playing at the time, it wasn’t until the past few months that I’ve given these tracks a hard listen and absolutely fell in love with them.

Releasing on October 21st, 2015, “Adult Summers” is the band’s second EP.

My taste in music has been all over the place recently, but one thing that I absolutely love is when a band leans into cathartic screaming to express emotions. If you’re looking for that, then Prince Daddy & The Hyena can fit that niche incredibly well.

Despite this EP being less than 10 minutes long, it packs one hell of a punch.

Starting this EP off is “Adult Summers (Part 1)”. Immediately you’re hit with Korneilious “Kory” Jophus Gregory’s strained and fried vocals, a staple of the band’s sound. The next thing you notice is the funky guitar and amazing bassline. Halfway into the track the band just goes nuts with guitar, bass, and drum solos. It’s such a great way to start an EP off.

“Adult Summers (Part 2)” samples the show Futurama and has a quote from Bender starting the song off. Despite it being a separate track, “Adult Summers (Part 1)” flows directly into this one. The guitars are still stellar on this one and Kory’s vocals are complimented by the rest of the band’s vocalization.

The first two tracks on this EP go so well together that it feels like they really should be one song despite the shift after Part 1 ends. Despite this, the vocals tell a story of how the singer is trying to go to sleep as the sun’s coming up because they’re planning on raising hell with their friends this evening. That hell-raising that the singer is doing is blasting music and doing as many drugs as they can.

The longest song on the EP is “I’m A Bum” which tones down the fried and strained vocals a bit and allows the band to really show off their instrumentation and lyric writing. The guitars on this track really show off what the band can do and the lyrics are just a lazy person’s anthem. I do feel as if this song overstays its welcome just a bit but you really can’t complain with how short this EP is.

“Revenge Of The SpiderBees” is another song that shows off the band’s range on guitar. While there isn’t much to say about this one lyrically, the last bit of this track is just so much fun that it makes up for that.

“***HIDDEN TRACK***” is by far the band’s most popular song, maybe it’s with how delicate it starts out with vocalization and Kory’s fried vocals being the only thing that breaks up the laid-back guitar and triangle. Maybe it’s that halfway through the song, the guitar goes wild and the band explodes with their instruments closing out the EP like fireworks. The song itself is about trying to better yourself despite the world and doing your best in the face of adversity. While it doesn’t sound like that on first listen, it’s probably the best way to close out the EP.

Final Thoughts

“Adult Summers” is such a wild EP that’s packed into a tight little package that surprises you with how much the band can fit into it. While it’s cathartic screaming at its finest, the band leaves you wanting so much more.

Album Score: 9/10

Favorite Track: “Adult Summers (PART 1)”