Ice-cold nostalgia upon glaring at the spreadsheet and seeing The Hoosiers was like a dagger in the heart. Where had these merry men been for the last decade? The Trick To Life was, and still is, an exceptional piece of light indie rock. It has survived the test of time far beyond its hit single and FIFA-featuring Goodbye Mr. A. Irwin Sparkles and Alan Sharland may down a few members but their bold continuation of this musical project with their latest album, Confidence, is a warm surprise for those who need quick fixes of nostalgia to keep them going between coffees. With a Tassimo machine on the brink, shots to the memory are needed. Wandering around Durham with a neon-green iPod with only Goodbye Mr A loaded to it is a wonderful time. But everyone involved in this experience, The Hoosiers included, moved on.
Confidence is not completely removed from their best efforts to date – but there is enough of a change to their style and playing abilities to warrant The Hoosiers as an entity. Colour-coordinated jackets on the album cover do little to distract from the half-baked bits and pieces within. Nice it is to see efforts like this, Confidence does not improve from there. The Hoosiers are a long way down the road and the Hoosier Complex is a distant star of a memory now. Opener Making A Monster is nice enough – light and of a pop-relevancy Harry Styles has championed after slaughtering the competition in armed arena combat. The Hoosiers are a bold pair of boys for bringing up his style and nailing it through a few of these songs.
Space-based fixations through this record strike of a band out of step with what was once popular. Making pop-oriented tunes about the atmosphere like Hello Sunshine works a decade ago. Not now. The Hoosiers are still grasping at what keeps them pushing on to the next steps of their career – and while Confidence is filled with these moments of crisp and welcoming nostalgia – they do not advance the quality instrumentals the band still clearly holds. An ear for a tune still comes within but as Wheatus find themselves, The Hoosiers are relegated to reliving the nostalgia crowd and pulling covers of bands and artists now associated with them. Weezer to Wheatus, Backstreet Boys to The Hoosiers. The Boiler Shop in Newcastle remembers.
Loved-up lyrics and twee charms from Sparkles are tougher to swallow on the likes of G.O.A.T., mainly because they feel more in tune with now-defunct Nickelodeon shows than a desire to truly connect with listeners. Brief and light play on words Lip Sinking does not stand the longevity test but, like many of the tracks featured throughout Confidence, it is a nice enough piece. Whether The Hoosiers are, as their album title suggests, trusting and faithful in these tracks, is not quite proven by the end of the half-hour, but new material from a band set to be defined by their major hit from over a decade ago will always be warmly welcomed by the nostalgia circuit. They are doomed to this moderate success for as long as it lasts, you can be confident in that.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
