Hutch’s Smile and Wave is a 4-track EP straight from the resplendent ooze of gold at the foot of a rainbow. Self-proclaimed as ‘twang pop post-yacht-rock soft psych’, this is the quartet’s first major release after a short string of singles since 2022. Formed by Jack Pritchard, Dan Shepherd, Charlie Bogg, Owen Bullock – with Eva Lunny on Harp and Synth for recordings – Hutch refract and zigzag their way into an advanced level of kaleidoscopic whimsy.
Originating from their jilted hopes of birthing their own Mighty Boosh inspired cartoon, Hutch’s musical endeavours mutated away from the realm of narrative soundtracks to a more linear band approach. However, the absurd and farcical intonations that pigmented their beginnings still hang in the air and tinge their eccentric sound.
Concordantly dreamy, the EP fuses the playful, tempo-shifting temperament of The Lemon Twigs and the tintinnabulating psychedelia of King Gizzard, with the opulence of Beatles-esque harmony. It basks in its experimental nature and accordingly precipitates a glorious residue which is equally catchy and brightening. Through lustrous twinkles of guitar and heavenly scintillations on the harp, Hutch will set you down on a dewy and tranquilising cloud you won’t want to return from.
Commencing with ‘The Bow’, its buttery guitar hook and droll vocals are spread frictionlessly onto a springy bed of accented velvet. With oily drum fills and breezy bass lines, the rhythm section throughout the EP manoeuvres with a fresh dynamic and reciprocates the warm blanket of lyrical creativity (“Disco under the bow/we’ll go where the rainbow meets us”). ‘Ice On The Lake’ waxes with ascending 4-part harmonies and wanes with tempo changes, it oscillates with a sprinkle of the harp and twists around a helter-skelter of honeyed jangle.
Listening to ‘Marmalade Air’ is like having a hot bath inside the belly of a guitar. Swimming around the fretboard and chiming from the bowels of the pickups, the song is six-string bliss. Instrumentally intriguing, it has an unpredictable form which results in, what I can best describe as, a chameleonic space jam. Departing with ‘See It All’, Hutch leaves us with an almost 6-minute track that is underpinned by an arpeggiated harp and euphonic vocals. Meditative and eclipsing, it’s a melodic reverie which casts you off in a daydream and is an effervescent closer to the EP.
Hutch have been gigging religiously since their live debut in 2021, from supporting a myriad of esteemed psych bands to reaching the longlist for Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition. If Smile and Wave is their first major debut, I’m sure they have a rosy future ahead of them.
Smile and Wave is out 23/02/2024 – buy their 12” Vinyl of the EP and all previously released Hutch songs on their Bandcamp.
Hutch socials: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter (X)
See Hutch live in the UK in 2024 on their headline tour:
29 FEB // Margate, Where Else
1 MAR // Chelmsford, Hot Box
2 MAR // Norwich, Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom
3 MAR // Halifax, Grayson Unity (Matinee Show)
5 MAR // Huddersfield, Parish
6 MAR // Sheffield, The Washington
7 MAR // Liverpool, Kazimier Stockroom
8 MAR // Milton Keynes, The Craufurd Arms
9 MAR // Bristol, The Lanes
12 MAR // Guildford, The Boileroom
13 MAR // London, Shacklewell Arms
14 MAR // Portsmouth, The Loft
15 MAR // Brighton, Green Door Store
16 MAR // St Leonards, The Piper
Review by Avalon Vowles
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