Slowly building out of the silence, with an INXS or ‘The Cure’ like breathy vocal, comes the ethereal rock of Hailer into my headphones. I immediately hear modern rockers like British India in their delivery and harmonies but not the urgency and visceral message. I wanted the first track to rock harder than it did but I soldiered on to the ensuing tracks.
Track three ‘’Anyway I Can’ is where the album finally comes to life for me. With the driving snare beat and jangly guitars accompanied by a catchy chorus, I heard a ready to go radio single. Whilst the rest of the album doesn’t generally follow suit, it doesn’t really have to.
These guys show an ability to move from atmospheric (Spooky Clams) to pop rock (Anyway I Can) to raw power (Blue Star, Postcards) and even acoustic on later track ‘Bright Lights’. Generally it is very well done and I imagine that these guys really engage a live audience.
An excellent follow up to their 2010 debut ‘Good Canyon’. Check it out.
Buy on iTunes here.
Hailer Website here.
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