Although HATS™ has always wandered in and out of an old school cabaret, Chasson, underground jazz-cafe sound, the sort of thing that would sound right at home in a 20’s Parisian bar or in Christopher Isherwood’s vision of Weimer Germany and its exotic nightlife, with the latest single, “testing” they really embrace that sound like never before. At least, to begin with.
The lyrics brilliantly capture the feeling of grudgingly putting up with those in our lives we would prefer not to be present with. Although they do so in a brilliantly Brechtian, street-opera, cabaret way, the sentiment found within the words is both wonderfully timeless and brilliantly relevant to the modern world. As someone wiser and wittier than I famously said, “hell is other people.” Exactly!
Starting from an a cappella base, HATS™‘s vocals are gradually cocooned in chiming guitars and haunting harmonies. Slowly, and sometimes not so slowly, the sonic temperature rises, and perhaps more so than at any time turning their run of exquisite singles, things get…well, huge…squalling, intense and incendiary. The music has always been deftly delivered, but now it is both big AND clever.
And so we go from the most delicate sounds to a squalling array of rock beats and indie guitars, from the most understated to an unforgettable creative punch, from the musical sketch to the vibrant sonic oil painting, full and rich and opulent. It’s a side of HATS™ that we haven’t seen much of before, but it is a wonderfully welcome addition to their artistic arsenal.
