Parisian indie-poppers Hoorsees have shared their self-titled debut album via Kanine Records. The nine songs on this record are filled with singer/songwriter Alex Delamard’s wry observations and driving hooks that capture the slacker spirit of the ’90s.
‘Overdry’ opens the record in a more breezy, jangly fashion that sounds somewhat akin to The Strokes jamming with Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever before ‘Pitfall’ finds the four-piece embracing their inner Peter Buck – albeit with Alex’s cracked vocals offering lyrics about desperately trying to find excitement. This is followed by the brilliantly titled ‘Fuckhead’, a grunge-tinged piece with interwined vocal melodies and Alex telling himself ‘you’re a fucking bore’ as he tries to sort his life out. This level of self-depreciation in the lyrics follows on to the Americana of ‘Get Tired’: ‘Once again you feel the pain but you tell yourself you should be brave… Get tired’.
‘Videogames’ heads back into the breezy and melodic sound as Alex and bassist Zoe Gilbert discuss things in a pensive and weary way over melancholic melodies, while ‘Instant Tea’ has a hopeful tone (‘Nothing’s gonna go wrong’). The harmonious hooks follow through ‘Major League’ and ‘Give It Up’ (which picks up the tempo considerably – even if it does have a shoegazey feel) before the album finishes with the art pop – complete with chanted vocals – of ‘Waterfall’ and then a secret track called ‘Hurts’. These hidden songs have been one of the many victims of a streaming-led industry and Hoorsees seem on a mission to reclaim their rightful place – ‘Hurts’ is anthemic, bombastic and triumphant but also rawly emotional with Alex describing how hurt he feels.
Hoorsees are a band you’re going to want to back.
