At the beginning of 2025, Hike The Peak – an ongoing, collaborative punk project helmed by Sheffield based musician Lee Byatt – released ‘Fire’, a two track offering that, musically, fell between the tougher end of Sum 41’s work and the more melodic elements of Strike Anywhere. Members of Aussie punk band Fake News and US punks Gametime proved to be useful musical allies, and although there were elements of the short listen that already felt familiar from a fan’s point of view, it more than suggested that Byatt would deliver even more great music going forward.
‘Air’ finds Byatt collaborating with Helen McWilliams of US punks One Fall and Sara Cruz of UK band Blagged on a pair of punky bangers that, in keeping with past Hike The Peak works, value a thoughtful lyric and a message based approach as much as a taut riff.
‘Hold Fast The Bonds’ is worth the price of admission alone. The lyric, supplied by McWilliams, concerns the suicide of a gay teenage friend. Lyrics about being “seventeen and broken” juxtaposed with a rallying cry of “rise up, rise up” creates something emotive and direct; it’s a sentiment that cuts through from first listen, and set against a furious skatepunk riff where jagged chords are offset by huge melodic sweeps, it’s immediately classic Hike The Peak fare. With twin lead guitars evoking classic works by Strike Anywhere, there’s a massive tune cutting through the track’s sharper edges, and aven when the final moments slip from huge, fairly accessible skate oriented sounds into something just a little spikier – pushing the drums to the fore – this track’s combo of punch and melody is almost perfect. Also, released at a time when D*nald Tr*mp has ordered the cancellation of America’s LGBTQ+ suicide helpline(s) and appears to be attacking minority groups whilst dragging the US into obvious fascism, this couldn’t be any more relevant.
‘On The Edge’ immediately telegraphs a track with a very different feel. Despite opening with a very choppy riff, it’s when Approaching a more melodic verse the number comes into its own, since a punky edge drives more of a rock-oriented tune, and Sara Cruz launches into a huge vocal where longer notes are allowed to soar over a tough sound. This punk/skate/rock hybrid gives Byatt a broader musical canvas than ever before, and even though he chooses to drop into something closer to his typical skate influenced sound for the chorus, this has the makings of something a little more commercial. When pushing against the chorus’s harder edge, Cruz sounds fantastic; her tones – occasionally echoing Shannon from The Messengers – are massively confident, and the lyric about about “dancing on the edge” taps into Byatt’s preferred topic of mental health wobbles without feeling like he’s smashing the audience with a sledgehammer of a message. The push and pull between sharp edges and melodic vocals would make this a great track anyway, but the middle eight – featuring Lee and friends dropping into a huge melodic hardcore influenced breakdown – delivers one of this short release’s finest musical moments. In and out in just two and a half minutes, there’s no padding here; it’s a genuine banger that broad minded punk fans will take to heart.
With a more inclusive quality, and feeling a little less like a punky gathering of “the lads” – no matter how geographically distant – this pairing of tracks is one of Hike The Peak’s finest. It’s a fantastic showcase for Byatt’s compositional skills, but an even better one for the vocalists of two underground acts that are definitely worth checking out. If you’ve made the journey with Hike The Peak since the beginning, or have found a love for any of the prior releases, you know you want this. If this happens to be your first exposure to Lee Byatt and his project of positivity, it’s a superb introduction. In punky terms, this two-tracker is an all round win for everyone concerned.
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July 2025