Philadelphia three-piece Hurry were borne out of Matthew Scottoline’s creative urges six years ago, when his main band began to slow to a halt. Adopting a more straightforward power-pop style than the emo of Everyone Everywhere, with whom he played bass, Hurry’s first releases had a nostalgic, reverb-drenched 90s indie feel.
Now comprised of a fixed line-up completed by cousins Joe and Rob DeCarolis, the band’s fourth full-length sees Scottoline move away from walls of sound and towards simple, breezy pop. The rich chorus effect of the titular track’s guitar is heard throughout ‘Every Little Thought’, and while it may evoke a degree of innocence, its overuse feels cheap and tiresome.
A preoccupation with the most basic of melodic ideas has mixed results: on the one hand, ‘On The Streets’’ up-tempo energy delights; on the other, the riffs of
‘Read Between The Lines’
are begging to be expanded upon. Simplicity can of course be a triumph, and it is evident throughout, from lyrics to the sparse album art. But often here, the least flattering sense of ‘simple’ comes to mind.
Scottoline’s delivery is nonetheless sweet. A smile and genuine affection for the songs is audible in his voice. His writing is not earth-shattering and certainly doesn’t shy away from a cliché, but remains able to make millennials look awkwardly inward. For example, on
‘Waiting For You’
; “Always looking at your phone / spending all your time alone.”
Few will be in a hurry to return to ‘Every Little Thought’, but that doesn’t mean its best moments wouldn’t be at home on a sunny spring afternoon, or amiss among a guitar pop playlist. Plenty of criticism could be levelled at Hurry
in terms of lacking inventiveness or flair, but none could fault this on accessibility or modest, easy immediacy.
2.5/5
‘Every Little Thought’ by Hurry is out now on Lame-O Records.
Hurry links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Peter Stewart (@PeteStew_)
