Hoops
Hoops

Release Date: 2016 | Tracklist

About a month ago, I was on the campus of Indiana University for a journalism workshop. With the use of vehicles prohibited, everyone attending needed to traverse the campus by foot in the sweltering summer heat for two weeks. It was an unfavorable situation to say the least. Little did I know, there was a chance that somewhere in town, Bloomington-based quartet Hoops were putting the finishing touches on an EP that perfectly soundtracks a mid-July afternoon. Hoops's brand of dreamy, summery, pop rock is in the same vein as artists such as Real Estate, Mac DeMarco, and other artists spearheading the jangle-pop revival that has been going strong since the beginning of the decade. While this sound is hot enough to garner at least some attention from the blogosphere, there is an artistic risk in taking up this style that is infamous for its tendencies of becoming shallow auditory wallpaper. However, this debut EP on Fat Possum Records is a lovely reassurance that Hoops are not that type of band.

This EP couldn’t have opened any better than with the lead single “Cool 2”, a sweet little pop tune that makes the most of its 1 minute 56 second runtime with a very melodic guitar riff that sticks in the head alongside a decent hook. Hoops is at their best on this EP when they deliver on the warm instrumentation that people come to expect from the band’s jangly contemporaries, while packing in their own little twists that brings distinctness to the track. Nowhere is this more implemented than on “Going Strong”. Although the hazy production doesn’t really let the propulsive drums reach their full potential, the glimmering synths in the background do the song a huge favor. Things end off on an especially laid-back note with “Gemini”, not exactly a highlight but a nice way to coast into the EP’s denouement. Hoops may be bite-sized at only 16 minutes, but it acts as a great swan song for the summer season. Hopefully this is not the last to be heard from a band that’s doing great things in a musical movement that has its fair share of blemishes.

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3.4 great