How do you like your Brit-rock bands? Cranking out massive, mighty and majestic arena-sized anthems like U2? Wearing their hearts on their sensitive-boy sleeves a la Coldplay? Or getting twitchy and glitchy with the electronic, post-rocky creations of Radiohead? Doesn’t really matter; whatever you want, you’ll get it somewhere on this debut disc from The Howl and The Hum. Granted, it might not be the most original offering of the week. But assuming you don’t take that whole innovation thing too seriously, their top-shelf songwriting and musicianship and more than good enough to make this a surprisingly satisfying outing.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In 2020, there are more ways than ever to get your name out there. Stars are born on Soundcloud, or via Instagram; musicians can cultivate a whole following without having ever played a note outside of their bedrooms. It’s a new type of opportunity, but it’s also one that lacks the romance and community of a youth spent cutting your teeth around like-minded souls. And, as The Howl & The Hum’s chief singer and songwriter Sam Griffiths discovered over years embedded in York’s artistic open mic scene, it’s those experiences that really whip you into shape. After moving to York, Griffiths was hanging out at open mic and poetry nights, a strange Yorkshire version of Greenwich Village in the ’60s, and it was through these nights that Sam would go on to meet bassist Bradley Blackwell, drummer Jack Williams and guitarist Conor Hirons. With a magpie mentality they cut their teeth playing in and learning from local bands and busking, with a strong songwriting core and an inventive, progressive view on what place guitar music has in today’s culture. Their inspirations ranging from Leonard Cohen and Phoebe Bridgers to Lizzo and Kendrick Lamar, and have been likened to Massive Attack, Radiohead and Alt-J.”
