Relative newcomers, High Hazels, have recently announced the release if their debut EP, In The Half Light, with the release of a video for the first track from the mini-album, Summer Rain. With influencers like The Coral, The Smiths, George Harrison, The Quarrymen, The Pale Fountains, The Walkman and Richard Hawley, In The Half Light is steeped in aspirations of great melodic pop with hints of Northern Soul, vague traces of psychedelia and a little surf guitar.
The EP has a release date of the 7th April 2014 on Heist Or Hit Records and in addition to the video for Summer Rain, which you can listen to below to get a feel for what to expect from the EP, High Hazels have also announced a series of tour dates to accompany the release. The four piece will be heading out on their upcoming tour with The Crooked throughout April and you can see all the details for the dates below.
The band is made up of James Leesley on lead vocals, lead guitar from Scott Howes, Paul Barlow on bass and his brother Anthony Barlow in charge of the drum kit. Hailing from Handsworth in Sheffield, where they all grew up within spitting distance of each other, they’re a quintessential group of likely lads that were drawn together by their love of music.
The video for Summer Rain is about as simple and honest as they come, but that also makes it a bit refreshing, as it’s just the four dudes from the band playing their song, which can be easily underrated at times. It’s a bit like a much less anarchic take on Last Night by The Strokes, and while their music is wildly different, it’s the group of guys trying to make good music impression that makes the comparison hold true.
The song itself is a stripped, love-lost lament of melodic pop proportions featuring dream-like levels of reverb laced guitar riffs and a laid-back bass line and drum backdrop. Leesley’s vocals sit somewhere between Alex Turner, Miles Kane and James Skelly, so they work well with the drenched-melody heavy track. It’s got a catchy chorus without being too obvious in its structure, creating a very listenable intro to the band.
The In The Half Life EP will be released on 10″ vinyl and digital download (priced at £2.49 from iTunes).
High Hazels, In The Half Life EP track list:
1. French Rue
2. Winter Song
3. Summer Rain
4. Loose Stitches
High Hazels April 2014 tour dates:
15th April – Bodega, Nottingham
16th April – The Cockpit, Leeds
17th April – Cluny 2, Newcastle
18th April – King Tuts, Glasgow
19th April – The Adelphi, Hull
22nd April – Soundcontrol, Manchester
23rd April – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
24th April – The Sugarmill, Stoke
25th April – Moles, Bath
26th April – Lennons, Southampton
27th April – The Thekla, Bristol
28th April – The Hope, Brighton
29th April – Dingwalls, London
31st May – Leadmill, Sheffield
