Liverpool duo Her’s have been knocking about for a few years now. They’re a name you'll probably recognise if you’ve been keeping watch over the indie scene recently. Their debut Songs of Her’s may fly under the radar for some, however it lays the foundations for a very promising future for the band. The two-piece consists of Steven Fitzpatrick, vocals and guitar, with Audun Laading on bass. They balance each other incredibly well, whilst the guitar and vocals sound delicate and thin they are countered by grooving thick basslines which grounds their sound perfectly. Songs of Her’s captures these elements and acts as a snapshot for a very promising band.

The album opens with ‘Dorothy’ which reveals a clear Smiths influence. Their guitar riffs and bass-playing have all those Marr and Rourke components, tied together by a drum machine and crooning vocals. It’s a great introduction to the band and the song is full of ideas which get explored further on the album. The basslines provided by Audun Laading are sublime and tie the song together very well, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

Things get a little deeper as the album progresses. ‘Cool With You’ is a slower, moodier number in which the band expand on their production and electronic beats. It’s becoming somewhat of a trend now in indie circles to employ drum machines, rejecting full band line ups. This gives a new wave of bands a different way to approach making music and exploring melodies and harmonies. Her’s employ this well, having that tight mechanical backing lets them explore ideas and ultimately serves as a perfect counterpart to their jangling melodies.

One thing that stands out throughout this album is the bass playing. Being a minimal two-piece band require you to make the most of every instrument and the bass serves as the rope holding everything together.

Single ‘Marcel’ is the album’s most accomplished track. The band have all the elements of their other singles ‘Dorothy’ and ‘I’ll Try’; however ‘Marcel’ comes across with a little more depth and restraint. There’s a Mac Demarco influence which is worn on its sleeve for this song too. Throughout the album there are many Demarco tinges but they come through stronger here, mainly due to the backing vocals during the chorus.

It’s the longer, slower songs on the album that work best. That’s possibly due to their positioning on the album. Three stand out in particular, which all given appropriate breathing space to the album. These songs are ‘Cool With You’, ‘Medieval’ and ‘You Don’t Know This Guy’ which all let the band experiment with layering textures, harmonies and show a richer, moodier sound. It gives them a good contrast and shows another side to their music. They write very good, unashamedly pop songs throughout and it’s tracks like these which give the album more depth and highlights their tallent as songwriters.

There’s clearly a lot of different influences and ideas explored on the album. ‘I’ll Try’ is a perfect example of the band trying to recreate perhaps an 80s indie-pop song. It’s also the closer to the album, which an odd choice of song to end with. It leaves the album feeling slightly incomplete. Songs of Her’s for me really harks back to The Smiths Hatful of Hollow in the way it’s put together. Every catchy single on the album is followed by more reflective tracks which nicely balances the album. It’s touches like this which make the album more valuable with repeated listening, the details and little things that you pick up on the each time you listen. On first listen you’d think the band have laid all their cards out but scratch beneath the surface you’ll find there’s so much more at play here than you may initially notice.
Chris Middleton

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