ALBUM REVIEW: Hold Onto Happiness With Both Hands – Toodles & The Hectic Pity
The title for TOODLES & THE HECTIC PITY‘s debut album comes from WE, a dystopian novel from the 1920s written by Russian author Ygeveny Zamyatin. The translation is by Bernard Guilbert Gurney, and reads: “The enemies of happiness are not napping. Hold onto happiness with both hands”. Inspired by these words, the indie/folk-punk trio have produced ten tracks to follow on from their debut EP Call In Sick (2017), and its 2020 successor Ghosts, Guilt & Grandparents.
The album opens with Wake Up Cold. As soon as it starts with its calming acoustic guitar, it is like receiving a warm hug from a long-lost friend. There is something familiar about it that feels like coming home. Callum McAllister‘s vocals are fantastic, especially as his voice wavers on cracking during the end of the song. There are also moments where the rest of the band come in, creating a euphoric rush of solidarity.
Solitary, Or So It Seems builds upon the mix of acoustic and fast-paced music that the band set up in the first song. This works extremely well, as it shows the two sides to the band. In less competent hands, it might have created a mess of an album, but none of the record sounds like it needed to be trimmed down or edited in anyway. It’s a raw and honest look at life, with heart-breaking lyrics and fantastic instruments.
Take Pedestrian Baby Part 1 as an example. The gentle drum beat carries the song as the haunting voice of McAllister enchants the listener. It is a brilliant song that experiments with trippy sound effects as well, showing that TOODLES & THE HECTIC PITY are not afraid to explore new territory.
Unfortunately, it is not all perfect. The band do get a bit fixated on the acoustic sound, which does get a bit tiresome after a while. That is not to say that they don’t try to do new things. For example, on The Enemies Of Happiness Are Not Napping!, Danny Lester guests as a trumpet player. This brings a new dimension to the song and breaks up the monotony. Furthermore, Emotionally Unclean is another raw and open song about working on yourself, and how no matter how hard you try, it is a constant process.
Overall, TOODLES & THE HECTIC PITY are a fun, sweet and fantastic band. Hold Onto Happiness With Both Hands builds upon their two EPs, and the songs are catchy and raw with emotion. Whilst they do unfortunately get a little repetitive throughout the album by sticking with the indie/punk-folk sound, there are enough hints of future experimentation that are breadcrumbs for what’s to come. Whilst the structure of the album’s sound might become tedious after a while, the mastering of it means that it is sonically consistent, and the pacing of the album is generally mid-tempo. Full of raw, heartbreaking lyrics and a feeling of coming home after a long hard day, Hold Onto Happiness With Both Hands is not a perfect album, but it is a promising debut from a band who have a lot to offer.
Rating: 7/10
Hold Onto Happiness With Both Hands is set for release on June 23rd via Specialist Subject Records.
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