Your Favorite New Band: Hooray For Earth

By Michael Lopez Thu., May 19 2011 at 1:00 PM

Categories: CD Preview

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Hooray For Earth

New albums reach my desktop pretty much every day -- it's a neat little privilege of being a music writer. Some are from bands I know, some from bands I've never heard of. More so, some are bands with silly names that cry "Oh, please PLEASE don't listen to this record." New York indie rockers Hooray For Earth have just a name. Thankfully for me, their music instantly hooked me, turning me into their biggest fan after a mere three songs.

I know what you're thinking: Oh great, another fucking indie band from New York. I know, I know -- but hear me out on this one. Hooray For Earth are legit as legit can be. With its mix of tribal-esque drums, kitschy 80's-inspired synths and subtle gloom overtones, True Loves -- the band's upcoming sophomore album -- is as good as any I've heard this year.

The album makes its money on its third and fourth tracks, "Sails" and "True Loves," respectively. The synthesizer influence is heavy across Hooray For Earth's sound, positing the band as a product of the recent trend towards embracing such a sound. Bands like Yeasayer, Passion Pit, and Neon Indian have made this burgeoning sound an affable venture, yet Hooray For Earth brilliantly put their own, unique spin on things, thus allowing them to standout in a somewhat saturated music scene.

Sure, you could argue that the last thing we need is another Animal Collective-inspired indie/electronic clone, yet Hooray For Earth is able to take those elements of what makes AnCo so popular and tweak them for their own benefit. There's thumping, ever-building drums layered over relentless-yet-gloomy synths, all joined by bombastic, declarative choruses throughout Hooray For Earth's style of music. True Loves packs a rather relentless 40 minutes throughout its ten songs, making it difficult to not at least notice one or two songs as being immensely enjoyable.

True Loves is out 6/7 via Dovecote. Tracklist is as follows:

01 Realize It's Not the Sun
02 Last Minute
03 Sails
04 True Loves
05 Same
06 Hotel
07 No Love
08 Bring Us Closer Together
09 Pulling Back
10 Black Trees

Please to enjoy the video for "True Loves," as well as a live performance of "Sails" from this past March:

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