Hornet Disaster by Weatherday | Album Review

The long-awaited second album from the secretive Swedish producer expands on every aspect of their prior work.

Despite being a music reviewer, I’m clearly bad at having my ear to the ground, because I had not heard of Weatherday until a friend turned me on to them.

A secretive Swedish producer with a collection of aliases, including Sputnik, Five Pebbles, and Lola’s Pocket PC, they’ve been active since 2019, when they released their debut album Come In on Bandcamp. That LP is a scintillating display of their prowess as a musician, songwriter, and producer, blending indie rock, emo, classical music and more into a beautiful portrait of 21st century romance and heartbreak. Online listeners quickly caught on to the high quality of this work, and an underground audience amassed.

They dipped away from the Weatherday name shortly thereafter, releasing several EPs under the aforementioned pen names. They would also collaborate with South Korean slacker rocker Asian Glow to create Weatherglow, a fascinating and colorful synthesis of their complimentary sonic stylings, and a boon to fans of both artists. 

But now, Weatherday is back in earnest as Weatherday, six years after the debut, with Hornet Disaster, a sprawling, kaleidoscopic experience that solidifies their status as both an innovative musician, and a thoughtful, emotionally sensitive artist.

Like its name suggests, Hornet Disaster presents as a swarm of songs buzzing about the listener, vying for their attention. Each of the 19 songs burst at the seams with energy and barely concealed tension, tempered by serene moments of zen.

Third single “Ripped Apart By Hands” perfectly encapsulates this idea. Weatherday experiments with an electronic sound, pairing the lo-fi wall of fuzzy guitars he’s known for with a subtle synth soundscape with a feeling of depth and sophistication.

That increased sophistication is evident throughout the album. Just look at “Green Tea Seaweed Sea,” a multi-phased track that bookends a raucous middle section with peaceful oases of gentle guitar alongside flute, an instrument Weatherday hasn’t used before in his work.

New sonic ideas turn up at every turn on Hornet Disaster. The opening title track blasts in with frenetic, compressed, brittle guitar tones and cymbals that hit like a burst of static. “Heartbeats” slows the pace as Weatherday sings of the heart linking two people. “Blood Online” brings an emo vibe to the table, sounding, in the best possible way, like a Los Campesinos! song playing over a mall PA system. There’s even “Pulka,” a snappy indie rock number that sees them singing in their native Swedish for the first time.

With so many songs, however, it’s expected that not every moment will land. For me, “Take Care Of Yourself (Paper-Like Nests)” and “Hug” miss the mark. The former feels skeletal, nearly unfinished at points, while the latter is slow and lugubrious, overladen with guitar and drum noise that feel like a slog to get through.

Hornet Disaster also runs 76 minutes long, with a large portion of the runtime devoted to blaring hard rock. This can make it hard to get through the whole LP in one sitting, as the amount of sound can feel overwhelming after a while.

Quibbles aside, Hornet Disaster makes clear Weatherday’s mastery of their sound and recording techniques, and their willingness to expand and broaden the lo-fi sound. While not every song lands, it’s undeniably exciting to hear work like this on the bleeding edge of modern music, and we can only hope Weatherday continue exploring the fabulous places this modern method of music making can take us.

Production: 8/10

Lyrics: 6/10Songwriting: 8/10

Overall: 7.5/10

Favorites: Hornet Disaster, Green Tea Seaweed Sea, Blood Online, Heartbeats, Ripped Apart By Hands

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Thank you for reading! What did you think of this album? Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts and recommendations.