New Hampshire Rocks! Robotic Hawks Have Struck Absolute Gold With Latest EP, “New Better Things”

Artwork by David SanAngelo

We recently had the distinct honor and privilege to check out the new EP, “New, Better Things, from Hudson, New Hampshire, alt-rock trio, Robotic Hawks.

You can listen to “New, Better Things “ on Spotify Here, Apple Music Here

The greatest feeling in the world as a music blogger, is when you listen to a new record, and at end throw off the headphones, and shout , “That was freaking amazing!” , this is without question , how we feel about “New, Better Things , from Robotic Hawks

Photo Credit: Drae’ the UnDead

Robotic Hawks, have unleash a new full-throttle, four-track EP titled New, Better Things , today , (Thursday, July 24,) ahead of a live appearance and performance later that tonight ( July 24th) on WaveRadio just over the state line in Lowell, their “drunk” swell of creativity arrived last spring. 

The band had just finished participating in the 2024 Rock and Roll Rumble, and fresh off the release of their All Business EP – whose lead single, “High Maintenance,” was spun as one of The Coolest Songs in the World by Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM – banged out a series of successful live gigs around southern New England. Momentum was on their side, and creativity was flowing.  

We stared at the blank page and kept throwing stuff around until we found our spark,” says vocalist and bassist Tyler Pollard. “We always write together in the same room. If one of us likes something, we stop to explore and develop. These three songs all popped out pretty quickly – but the refinement took several months.”   

The “refinementPollard references was another example of Robotic Hawks Pollard joined, as usual, by Shawn Doherty on guitar and Brian Sturk on drums – stepping out of their comfort zone. The band recorded New, Better Things with Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, Massachusetts, a departure from the practice space self-recordings of prior work, which was then co-produced and mixed by longtime ally and associate Andrew King. The Hawks then took it to be mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie, the iconic producer, engineer, and mixer known for his work with Pixies, Radiohead, Hole, Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield, Morphine, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and countless others. 

“New, Better Things “ from Robotic Hawks, sounds like a perfectly tuned 1969 MGB roadster, but in record form. We were completely blown away.

In our honest opinion, opening track, “Andale’”, may be Robotic Hawks, at their very best . The sound , the vibe …. Letter perfect.

The record artfully , showcases the band’s pub rock energy, garage-pop smarts, and power-pop urgency over three new original tracks, led by first single “Heartbeat,” a bass-driven number that shines like glass and cuts with the same intensity, and a cover of Crowded House’s 1980s classic “Something So Strong.New Better, Things is teeming with anthemic choruses and sing-along verses, and continues to showcase a band growing more confident in its sonic swagger.  

This EP has all of the standard Robotic Hawks hallmarks, but with more attention to vibe and groove,” Pollard says. “Our mission statement has always been ‘As long as it’s rock and roll, it’s us.’ We always just try to write interesting songs, but this feels more measured and well-paced to reveal the personality of each song. These songs just feel looser, but manage to come across as surefooted.”

Through all the spectacular melodies and perfectly places lyrics throughout “New, Better Things”, what stood out most to our music loving ears, is how “riff-tastic” , “New, Better Things “ is . Every song is chock full of show stopping tasteful guitar goodness that we simply could not get enough of.

Go find your favorite music listening spot, and get lost in the musical goodness of “New, Better Things” from Robotic Hawks.

Leave a comment