III by HOO

HOO - master builders of woozy dynamics, songs unfurl with a mysterious, hooky logic all their own to create deeply emotive, chaotic, cinematic and - surprisingly, with this album ‘III’ - indie pop tunes! Songs clocking in just over 2 or 3 minutes, driven by heavy grunge guitars & potty Moog magic, opening out at times during the breathtaking prog Ov Violence/ Evil Weeks and the epic gothy final track Method Papers.

‘III’ has been 10 years in the making and features friends Simon Rowe (Chapterhouse, Mojave 3), Ian McCutcheon (Mojave 3, Slowdive), Paul Blewett (Moon Attendant), Lee Lavender & long time collaborator & award winning folk artist Jackie Oates. The themes and feel of the songs meant they had to lay in wait in HOO’s church-like studio, patiently growing & spawning like a 70's Dr WHO monster. Newer songs like the almost indie-dance-floor Snake & Myself When I Am Real finally gave the album foundation.

HOO songwriter Nick Holton explains “All my music, including stuff in the past with Coley Park & Neil Halstead (Slowdive), is made at home in my own studio ‘Oaki Room’, so they blend into one another and my broader life. This is why musicians like Paul Blewett, Ian McCutcheon and Simon Rowe are always in the band or on my records - because they are part of my life. I have always made music this way and intended to. Jackie’s beautiful lead on England Theme, a high for me, was a simple idea. A mirror, as is so much of what I write about, here pride and disappointment in your world. Politics, religion, conflict, human frailty & alien tentacles, the collapsing environment all feature heavily and inspire. Despite this, we aim to make these dark songs engaging & endearing, skipping about you at volume in a psychedelic fug.”

“I cannot and will not explain what is going on, but ‘III’ definitely closes a door and feels the most complete work of my life” Holton concludes.

’III’ is playful, eccentric, explosive and shamelessly takes itself seriously.

Finished and mastered by Heba Kadry (Beach House, Bjork, Slowdive).

Tracklist

1.	How Much Of This Constant Pain	3:19

2.	Snake	3:29

3.	Myself When I Am Real	2:28

4.	Ov Violence (i) Evil Weeks (ii)	5:51

5.	Change Your Heart	3:08

6.	Among The Slave	2:56

7.	Hearts and Minds	2:37

8.	I'm Not Here To Worry You	3:47

9.	England Theme	3:09

10.	Method Papers	4:24

Credits

released October 25, 2024

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