RECORD LABEL; Section 1
REVIEWED; 19 November , 2025
Electric Hour, the new album by Atlanta trio Sword II, feels like a lightning strike contained inside a basement. Recorded in a leaky, paranoia-soaked house and released November 14, 2025, the record tightens the band’s previous experimental impulses into concise, furious songs that still breathe.
Across ten tracks — from opener “Disconnection” to the closing “Even If It’s Just a Dream” — Sword II marry psych-tinged guitar textures with hardcore bursts and theatrical vocals, producing a sound that’s both abrasive and oddly warm. The arrangements favor tension and release: moments of whispering reverb give way to jagged riffs and propulsive drums, a dynamic sharpened by Sebastian Kinsler’s mix and Heba Kadry’s mastering.
Lyrically the album deals in unease and interpersonal friction, often refracted through short, image-heavy lines rather than straightforward narratives. Tracks like “Sentry” and “Under the Scar” trade in claustrophobic atmospheres, while “Sugarcane” and “Gun You Hold” suggest the band can pivot to concise hooks without losing their raw edge.
At its best Electric Hour balances immediacy with texture: the band’s self-production keeps songs raw, but not undercooked, and the guest drummers add rhythmic variety that prevents monotony. Some moments feel deliberately restrained an interesting counterpoint to the album’s title which makes its louder eruptions land harder. Critics have noted its quietly radical cohesion, and the record already reads as Sword II’s clearest statement yet.
Standout tracks such as “Halogen” and “Violence of the Star” show glimpses of the band’s melodic ambitions, and they’ll tour North America next year in earnest. If you like albums that wear their contradictions loud — tender one minute, abrasive the next Electric Hour rewards repeated listens; it isn’t tidy, and that’s the point: it’s a record about living inside static and finding energy in the shocks.