The debut release from BooHooHoo comes in the form of a strictly limited edition USB slap wristband containing a USB drive, such gimmicks however are worth nothing if the material contained within doesn’t live up to expectations.
After a show at King Tut’s Summer Nights and support slots with labelmates TeenCanteen and Be Charlotte, the quartet’s switch to the studio has paid off with a trio of glossy recordings, mixed by Lewis Gardiner (the electro pop production guru behind Prides and the 9000 bands that also sound like Prides that Glasgow has produced in the last two or three years) into a punchy EP that finds the group with hooks to spare.
Sounding like a mix of Chic, LCD Soundsystem and that time The Killers started wearing feather cloaks, it’s an EP that rarely lets up in its pursuit of party vibes.
Ultimately this is pretty full on but then again from the funk bass up it’s clear that subtlety may not be BooHooHoo’s strongest suit, some of these ideas would be written off by The Bee Gees as a tad garish.
Nonetheless no group could write a tune as flagrant as ‘Dream Tonight’ without a little self-awareness and if soaring synths, boy-girl dual vocals and funk beats are not enough to get you grooving then you’re a harder hearted soul than this listener.
‘Now is the Season’ is a humongous slice of electro rock owing a debt to Chromeo’s tongue in cheek strut and Toto’s savannah sized choruses, while ’Mould Me’ even packs a flute solo that Peter Gabriel might find cheeky.
It’s neon-drenched, Vegas strip, lack of subtlety may not be for everyone but for those just bursting to get their sequins on, BooHooHoo could be the record for you
Words: Max Sefton
Rave Child 