How Flowers Grow
How Flowers Grow introduces Scowl through short hardcore songs, rough vocals and a direct sense of purpose. Kat Moss gives the music a sharp, confrontational presence, while the guitars move between punk force and heavier rhythms. The record also contains a few changes of character that suggest the band could do more with this sound. Those departures matter because the most straightforward material does not always have equally distinctive writing.
Bloodhound gives the opening a clear sense of tension before the band settle into their heavier attack. Dead to Me follows with a strong rhythmic push, its drums and chugging guitars providing a substantial setting for the vocal. These early songs establish the physical character of the record quickly.
The strongest contrast comes from Seeds to Sow. Cleaner singing, a lighter groove and saxophone take the music somewhere less aggressive. The change gives the sequence a welcome melodic focus and shows another side of Moss's delivery. It is brief, but its different character makes a lasting impression.
Four Walls brings a slower, more deliberate weight. The guitars have more of a hard rock character here, giving the song room to make its point without depending entirely on speed. The closing title track also allows its arrangement more space, bringing together aggression and changes in intensity.
The limitations are easier to hear in some of the more conventional hardcore passages. A few songs could use a stronger hook or a less familiar rhythmic turn, and the large production sound sometimes exposes how simple the underlying ideas are. More urgency would also help certain short bursts land with greater force.
Even with those reservations, How Flowers Grow has a convincing personality. The vocal presence and heavier playing provide a strong foundation, while the melodic detour gives the record another point of interest. Scowl are most compelling when they give that personality a distinct musical shape rather than relying on aggression to carry the whole song.
