The Hardy Boys‘ upcoming “Under the Piccadilly Clock EP” has been my dear companion the last days, – I’ve had it with me in my mp3 player everywhere I’ve been, on constant repeat. 3 lovely indiepop songs that have brightened my days.
The EP will be released on Bubblegum Records on September 3.
The Hardy Boys were formed back in 1985, and have been mentioned as “one of the great lost bands of the C86 era” and as “a Glaswegian The Smiths”. I was one of those who discovered the band far too late, in 2010, when I bought the wonderful 14 song retrospective collection “The Hardy Boys Play Songs From The Lenin And McCarthy Songbook”. The Hardy Boys split up in 1990 and reformed recently with one additional member, Kat King, and they sound so good in 2010! These are in fact the first new songs they have released in 20 years. I welcome you back, The Hardy Boys!
The EP starts with a classic upbeat indiepop song, “You’re just what I need right now”,with good lyrics and a great melody. It continues with my favourite, “Trains ran on time”, a really beautiful song which starts slow with the lovely vocals from Kat King, builds up from verse to verse, and ends as a gorgeous duet between King and the original Hardy Boys vocalist Johnny White. If I had a hat, I would have taken it off in respect for this wonderful performance!
The EP ends with the acoustic “Dear Seamus Heaney”, – a perfect ending on an almost perfect EP. Please don’t let it be 20 years until next release from The Hardy Boys…
You can buy the album from Bubblegum Records webshop, and probably also from good digital shops as well.
Listen to the EP on Soundcloud:
Under The Piccadilly Clock by bubblegumrecords
