Sophomore albums can be hard, especially after a successful first release like The Rubens had. There’s a lot of pressure and sadly too many bands don’t live up to the hype placed on them by the media, industry and their fans. It seems perfectly placed then that the first track opening the album is titled ‘Hallelujah’. It’s almost like a sigh of relief for creating a perfect follow up – which Hoops certainly is.
In the back of their mind the band wanted to create an album that was fun to play live, yet something that reflected their maturity and growth in their music. The album does just that and more, it’s fun yet has a sophisticated R&B tinged rock sound. ‘The Night Is On My Side’ is a fine example and stands as one of my favourites.
‘Hoops’ – in my opinion – will serve as the radio-hit favourite for the album. It’s a slow burner that erupts into the perfect sing-a-long kind of track. Having heard it recently at Splendour live I can vouch for the latter.
Other notable highlights came with ‘Bitter End’, the guitar-heavy ‘Battles’ and ‘Hold Me Back’. Overall it’s an album that’s proven the guys have all taken another step further in their careers, and one that’s doubly proven when they play the tracks live.
Out Now Ivy League
Reviewed by Amanda Sherring
