“Town Hall” comes on like a fever dream. The kind that seems to have started without you. From its whiplash-inducing opening riff, the song captures the manic energy of Toronto-based trio WHIMM like a fly in a spider’s web. Built on a series of rapid-fire jolts and frantic buzzing followed by bouts of unsettled stillness, every gesticulation of guitar, bass and drums entangles you further. Down is up, up is down, and getting out is not an option. Once vocalist and guitarist Mounir Chami sets you in his sights, surrender is inevitable. Chami is aided and abetted by bassist Andrew Matthews and drummer Jonathan Pappo, their combined power forming the abrasive and chaotic core of WHIMM’s sound. At a fleeting two-and-a-half-minutes long, “Town Hall” may last shorter than your average dream, but its urgency and force stays with you long after you jolt upright and awake.
