Her's – Invitation to Her's
With Invitation to Her's, Her's have delivered a debut that suggests they’ll be continuing to craft impossibly catchy off-kilter pop for years to come
With the title of Invitation to Her’s, the Liverpool-based duo of Audun Laading and Stephen Fitzpatrick are well and truly enticing listeners into their court. And with the swooning melodies, slightly jittery riffs, handclap-infused breakdown and wurlitzer sounds of opener Harvey, they pull the listener straight into their debut album's realm, one that’s filled with vintage charm and off-kilter edges.
The hazy guitars and breezy melodies often wouldn’t be out of place in a 90s rom-com, the sweet nature, surf aesthetics and often slick production values being offset by an occasional twinkling synth or, as on Blue Lips, the feel of a doo-wop classic morphed with the essence of a certain other Liverpudlian band. But the real strength of Invitation to Her's lies in showcasing one of the duo’s best assets: their ability to effortlessly piece together a killer hook. Almost every track here is loaded with a chorus that swoons or soars, burying and sticking in the mind.
By its closing tracks though, the relative lack of shade to balance the bubblegum-coloured light can become a bit cloying, the endearing charm of the sugary nature fading slightly. Nevertheless, Laading and Fitzpatrick have still delivered a debut that suggests they’ll be continuing to craft impossibly catchy off-kilter pop for years to come.
Listen to: Harvey, If You Know What’s Right