Liverpool’s Red Rum Club follows 2019’s critically acclaimed ‘Matador’ with ‘The Hollow Of Humdrum’. The album is out now via Modern Sky UK.
‘Matador’ hit great highs (‘Angeline’ and ‘Would You Rather Be Lonely?’) but, it also fell flat (‘Calexico’ and ‘Casanova’). ‘The Hollow if Humdrum’ is a different animal altogether. Like a Charlatans album, it’s remarkably consistent throughout.
There is a striking vitality pulsating throughout. ‘Kids Addicted’ is bursting at the seams with Dexy’s pop radiance and the guile of The Coral. Meanwhile, ‘Vivo’ rattles along like a melodic bull in a China shop. In the year Ennio Morricone sadly passed away, it seems fitting Red Rum Club has fused his epic western soundscapes with their brand of punk.
In the past five years, Blossoms have been torchbearers for bands writing bona fide pop classics again. Red Rum Club is now hotly in pursuit with ‘Ballerino’, Eleanor’, and ‘Dorado’. ‘Ballerino’ cuts loose like Miles Kane but, with the more welcoming nodes of Orange Juice. ‘Eleanor’, is beset with the electro-pop romance of Robyn and is the greatest reinvention of a name you’ll ever hear. Whereas, ‘Dorado’ is a turbulent and unrelenting adventure set to ride off into the sunset.
In an era where albums seem to matter less, Red Rum Club has delivered one of the true classic opening tracks. ‘The Elevation’, combines their knack of writing party songs with a rock ‘n’ roll’s desperation to be heard. From the vocal cadence to the synth solo, it solicits your adoration.
‘The Hollow Of Humdrum’ is not a classic but, like a ‘Tellin’ Stories’, Tellin Stories’, ‘A Maximum High’ or ‘Life’, it’s will remain close to the hearts of many for decades to come.