Recently constituted Boston quartet The Hush Now trade in light but dense guitar pop in the mold of the great U.K. guitar bands of the mid- and late '80s. Bands like The House Of Love, as well as certain American successors including The Ocean Blue and Poole. All of which makes The Hush Now's self-titled debut -- perhaps with the exception of odd, throw-away Irish folksy bookending tracks that continue to perplex us -- a very enjoyable way to spend three-quarters of an hour. Mid-tempo strummer "Vancouver" provides a schematic of what the band is about: melodic guitar lines cascade, Weezer-y synths underscore, hands clap time and lyrics float gently. The rocking album highlight "Sadie Hawkins Dance" is an irresistible bit of bubblegum-leaning romance featuring fronter Noel Kelly's understated but yearning murmur ("who said I didn't want what you wanted?"). Online promo track "Traditions," which we first wrote about here last month, has a hypnotizing verse that somewhat softens the chorus' demand "just sit down and shut up, and don't speak 'cause there's nothing wrong." The syncopation of deep track "Roleplay" recalls The Ocean Blue's "Marigold," from that band's landmark record Cerulean (which, incidentally, was the name of Mr. Kelly's previous, Los Angeles-based band). The Hush Now will be self-released in late October. The band already has its sights set on a follow-up, which it begins recording this week with producer David Newton (formerly of The Mighty Lemon Drops). We'll be dropping in on the sessions and will file some sort of report thereafter. In the meantime, check out the upbeat (and particularly Poole-ish) throbber "Sadie Hawkins Dance" from the forthcoming debut, which the band was cool enough to let us offer to you.
The Hush Now --
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[watch NewburyComics.com or the band's MySpace dojo for pre-order info]
The Hush Now: Internets | MySpace |
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