Artist: Hooray For Earth

29^th July will see the release of Hooray For Earth’s new album, Racy, via Dovecote Records. Quite unlike it’s ominous black and white album art, the album presents a collection of songs that are rich in both colour and feeling. Racy is, to its very core, a generic rock album that encapsulates the spirit of the genre in a great fashion.

There are a variety of reasons why I was left impressed by this album. One of the most obvious ones was the band’s ability to not only make the electric guitar the primary instrument in almost all the songs without sounding monotonous but also use all other instruments in a way that perfectly compliment and highlight the guitar. The album is introduced with a distortion-heavy track “Hey,” which might seem daunting to listeners like me who tend to stray away from heavier music of the sort but the riff in the middle helps to draw the listener back in before “Keys,” which is where the album really picks up for me. The edgy and clever tune helps to illustrate how the band uses the distortion-heavy electric guitars to give the music a powerful boost. Another aspect of the album that stood out to me is how the Noel Heroux’s soft, and almost sweet, voice contrasts mysteriously well with the typically heavy musical arrangement. His distant voice in ‘Say Enough’ is on point and even though the band risked it fading away in the background, it is strong enough to not be over-dominated by the music. ‘Somewhere Else’ is the catchier, more upbeat song of the album that finds the vocalist choosing to see things with a new perspective, pondering over alternatives that help to make his current situation clearer to him. The title track ‘Racy’ finds the singer at his lowest, accepting somewhat shamefully his desires like, “When I could be watching you, it’s keeping me awake and keeping you to stay.” The lyrics, worthy of an eyebrow raise, are complimented by an ominous musical arrangement; in keeping with the dark theme of the track.

It’s been a while since I have heard something and been able to confidently label it “rock,” but Racy put an end to that. There is something weird and peculiar about Hooray For Earth, a factor that is a huge advantage for the band as it helps them grab the listener’s attention by intriguing them and keeping them wanting more.

Mariam Aamir

http://www.dovecoterecords.com/