Hurdles are a Belfast-based indie pop 4 piece who have been around for a while, gigging all over Northern Ireland and beyond. Things are slowly but surely taking off for them thanks to two excellent singles ‘Pictures’ and ‘Paper Soldiers’ which have gained them airplay on BBC Radio 1 and Radio Ulster as well as securing slots on various Irish festivals throughout the summer. ‘Kaleidoscope’ now makes this three singles and is a precursor to an E.P. the band plan to record over the summer in between festival appearances.
And damn catchy it is too. Reminiscent of The Strokes in terms of the choppy riffs and time signature and the vocal melody/phraseology echos early Casablancas’ work, but not slavishly so, nor does the song have that horrible outdated Noo Yoik cynicism. For me it’s a modern summer love song and should go down a treat at the festivals with its bouncy rhythm and catchy indie guitar riff. Then there is the hook of ‘falling to the fire’ chorus and the lovely breakdown section. At less than three-and-a-half minutes it never outstays its welcome or becomes too much.
If their forthcoming E.P. maintains this standard, Northern Ireland will have another contender for the ‘next big thing’.
‘Kaleidoscope’ is available now from http://wearehurdles.bandcamp.com/track/kaleidoscope. Get on it!
