Review Summary: Forty years later
Britain's
Haircut One Hundred has managed to pull off a pleasant surprise. This new material is far from just a lazy attempt to cash in on past (however brief) glory or a blind imitation of eighties aesthetics. After such a long hiatus, the band has managed to recapture a signature sound recognizable from the very first seconds while refreshing it by blending the past, present, and future. It’s clear the musicians didn't sit in a total vacuum over those forty years: the new tracks pulse with the influences of various musical currents they encountered along the way. At the same time, Nick Heyward’s vocals haven't lost a single drop of their buoyancy, and the band sounds remarkably fresh, as if time has no power over them and not a single minute has passed since their painful breakup.
Four decades of silence later, driven either by sincere friendship and a thirst for adventure or by understandable nostalgia, the Brits have returned with the album
Boxing the Compass. The title can be interpreted as "to sail in all directions" or, more simply, "to execute a sharp about-face" – a fitting metaphor for the band. Formally their third album, it is actually only the second studio work recorded by the original lineup since 1982. The stakes were undeniably high: such a comeback inevitably draws immense interest and places colossal pressure on the musicians, since surpassing the bar of one's own youthful craftsmanship is no easy task. Yet, the reunited outfit is as full of energy and zeal as anyone could possibly hope.
At their core, Haircut One Hundred remain a funk-rock band through and through. The record is split almost evenly between sunny guitar pop and high-speed funk numbers, where the rhythm section locks firmly into an infectious dance groove and guitars chatter furiously in the style of
Chic. The jazz horn section frequently takes the reins, at times deliberately pushing the vocals into the background. On other tracks, the punch and professionalism of the brass reach a level where the musicians can boldly rival
Earth, Wind & Fire. Meanwhile, Heyward clearly relishes trying on different personas. In
Vanishing Point, he sings in a sultry, stealthy David Bowie style; in
Soul Bird, he emerges as a sincere, open frontman; and in
Dynamite, he sounds like an ecstatic lover. This refined jazz tint evokes associations with
The Style Council or
The Blow Monkeys, bringing an elegant, mature sophistication to the traditional pop structure.
The guitar-pop numbers flood the album with sunlight and magnificent polyphony. The track
The Unloving Plum stands out in particular, sparkling with the unbridled joy of musicians who love what they do, subtly woven with psychedelic notes and the stadium-sized power of Britpop. Remarkably, without using synthesizers, they have managed to recreate a pure-bred new wave sound. The rock-and-roll spirit is sustained by two other notable compositions. The minor-key, melancholic
That’s a Start offers a rare non-ecstatic moment for the album, combining dreamy guitar, Latin American rhythms, and yearning vocals. It is echoed by
Raincloud – a crisp guitar track from the era when rock music wasn't shy about being happy. It is in pieces like these that the band delivers maximum genuine emotion and seems to completely let loose.
The final track,
A Wonderful Life, closes the record on the exact same jubilant note with which it began. The musicians slightly ease off the gas, placing Heyward in a warm sonic embrace as he sings words of comfort and joy. It feels as though Haircut One Hundred have effortlessly returned to the creative peak they occupied in 1982.
Boxing the Compass offers mature, high-quality, and delightfully invigorating pop music from people who have absolutely nothing left to prove, yet still know how to thoroughly enjoy a great melody. Now, one can only hope that this isn't just a one-off nostalgic statement, but a full-fledged new chapter in their adventure.
