Hefner
We Love the City
(Too Pure)
Grade: A-
Hefner, a London-based quartet, has had a fair amount of success in its homeland and with the release of the new album We Love the City, the group deserves far more recognition than it has received on this side of the world.
A slow -yet fun- approach to love songs has Hefner's latest album spinning in tranquillity. Musical elements from bands like Pavement and The Clash are heard throughout the album making it both exciting and memorable. The CD - blending slow rock with Emo - can boast a different sound, yet it is as familiar as an old friend.
Teetering on the edge of emotions both sad and happy, Hefner gives the listener a mix to be remembered. The theme of this record - developed through negative love songs featuring great music - is the love that is distinctly absent from singer Darren Hayman's life.
The album's lyrics are smart and funny, tinged with seriousness - "If you felt it weeks ago/ then where did the feelings go?/ oh surely you must know/ cause I am not supposed to feel this/ not when you are leaving" from the song "Greedy Ugly People." The entertaining music helps each track flow into the next.
One song on the album, "The Day Thatcher Dies," incorporates a line from "The Wizard of Oz" - "ding dong the witch is dead" sung by a group of children. Other tracks include a horn section and piano, with a guest appearance by female singer Amelia Fletcher, which complements this already well-conceived record.
Though Hefner makes truly great music, We Love the City is an album that is truly underrated.
-Adam Pugh
