What ever happened to Two Door Cinema Club? I loved those guys…Luckily for me Belfast based indie-pop quartet Hurdles have a distinctly Two Door sound. Reminiscent of nostalgia inducing summer-pop bands like Vampire Weekend and Bombay Bicycle Club, I really like what Hurdles are doing.
Playing live together since November 2012, three quarters of the band are from Northern Ireland (Niall Hanna, Eoin Bleeks and Thomas Bannon), whilst the final quarter hails from Bedford in England (Ross Haymes), the result is a bit more laid back and I think you can really hear the non-Northern Irish influence throughout their latest EP Dusk & Dawn.
Opening track Closer is a jovial one, with upbeat drums, short sharp jangling guitar and Niall Hanna’s dreamy vocals, the scene is set. I’m transported back to the summers of my youth, and I really need a road trip. Title track Dusk & Dawn has a way of sneaking up on you, with rich sweeping guitar melodies and another ridiculously catchy refrain.
With this EP simplicity and good old fashioned indie-pop are the order of the day, and penultimate track Wake is this personified. Clean drums, a slick and groovy beat and even some hand-claps come together to create an emotive and poppy tune.
To close off this well-rounded EP, we have one of the band’s most highly commended tunes, France which was released as part of the Scratch My Progress talent development programme run by Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre. As part of this scheme Hurdles received a whole host of mentoring from industry professionals, and it definitely shows. More hand-claps are soon followed by a spiralling wave of aural goodness: shimmering cymbals, haunting vocals and an atmospheric approach to this genre that is the freshest thing you’ll hear in 2016.
Simple, fresh and immersive, Dusk & Dawn is a highly emotive piece of indie-pop perfection. The perfect EP to stick on in the car during your next summer road trip.
To hear more follow Hurdles on Facebook, Twitter or Sound Cloud, or even visit their website.
