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Review: Hurdles 'Where To Start' EP

Review: Hurdles 'Where To Start' EP

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Y’know, Ireland has a really good music scene at the moment. We’re a little bit trapped where we are, but that has never stopped good musicians from getting out there and making releases and gigging and the cream of the crop moving onto greener pastures. Now, more than ever, it’s so easy to record your music and get it out there and get some gigs; and that is exactly what Belfast boys Hurdles have done.

Formed in October of last year, they have gotten straight to work gigging and releasing songs, with this EP, ‘Where To Start’, having been preceded with 3 singles, ‘Pictures, ‘Paper Soldiers’ and ‘Kaleidoscope’ – all available via the bands Bandcamp page, wearehurdles.bandcamp.com. Recorded by Ben McCauley at Start Together Studios Belfast and boasting a ‘progression in complexity’, the EP promises some seriously danceable indie pop that’s a cut above the rest. Does it deliver? Yes, well, mostly.

Opening with the bass and drums heavy ‘Intro’, played thumpingly by Eoin Bleeks and Ross Haymes, which leads straight into a crescendo of vocal harmony and guitars, they certainly get off on the right foot before launching into ‘Where To Start’, the first real track of the EP. The first thing to notice is that there’s quite a lot going on, each instrument is playing something a little different, providing a very layered sounding approach. The band are tight and rehearsed, and that’s reflected in the song-writing. By the time vocalist/guitarist Niall Hanna has begun singing, you’re already hooked and boogie-ing away in your head. Going from strength to strength, the third track, Roadrunner, is the highlight. Boasting the most hummable lead line of the EP, played by Fearghal Breslin, this is the track that will be stuck in your head for days after listening to it, and showcases how well produced the EP is.

It’s hard to get a balance in recording between the song being perfectly played and sounding exactly how the band want it to, and the band still sounding like a band. Over production and under production can be equally negative on a bands sound and the impression they give off. ‘Where To Start’ is in that nice little window where the recording sounds good, all instruments can be heard distinctly and everything is in tune, and it still sounds like the band playing in a room together. It sounds organic, and that’s why when you listen to it, you want to dance and hum along – honest jams are infectious.

After Roadrunner, the EP gets a touch less in your face and closer to pleasant background music, which isn’t a bad thing. Control boasts a strong melodic bridge section, while Ruthless is the longest track on ‘Where to Start’ and ends on a very sweet note – certainly showing the band also know where to finish, too. Taking inspiration from the likes of Bloc Party and the Strokes, they do well in emulating these acts and creating the kind of music you can listen to without having to pay attention to it’s intricacies. Not to say the intricacies aren’t there, they are, but this is music you can dance to if you want to, but also music that can just provide a happy soundtrack to your day-to-day activities. This is the kind of EP that makes you want an album so that you don’t have to hit play again every fifteen minutes.

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Hurdles aren’t quite at essential listening level quite yet, but are definitely on the right path for it. Their brand of instrument driven dance-indie-pop is good for virtually any setting, and they are unashamedly non-abrasive in their delivery. The only slight is that it doesn’t sound distinctive, at least not yet. The sound is obviously like other bands, which isn’t a problem, but perhaps a greater look at what could be done a little differently could be what makes them an essential band in your collection. With this EP out in the open for people to see and hear, and surely some serious gigging to come, they are a band to keep an eye on for the future – where to start? Well, right here will do just nicely.

Stand-out track: Roadrunner

[easyreview cat1title=”The Arcade Verdict” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”8″]

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