A little under four years ago, Carlow-based quartet 79Cortinaz charmed the under-crackers off Irish music fans with their frenetic yet strangely funky single ‘Deirdre’s Song’. It gamely sailed up the charts, peaking at number 18, whetting our appetites for more. It might have taken them a while to release their debut album, but it was worth the wait.
Hopioki first and foremost is a fun record and features 11 tracks of finely crafted, guitar-oriented songs. There’s a little Brian Wilson, Thrills, Arcade Fire and even some Primal Scream thrown in there, and every tune sounds positively lush. The best track is ‘She’s Awake’, which has a gorgeous, lilting guitar refrain and has the potential to be an anthem at the summer festivals this year. A close runner up is the beautifully heart-broken ‘Electric Hymn’ which showcases some stunning backing vocals from Annie Strain and is definitely a song to fall in love to.
On the whole, Hopioki is a better than solid affair, with only the throwaway ‘Raspberry Bon Bons,’ leaving a sour taste. But that’s a minor gripe to make about an album that’s achingly accomplished and, for hte most part, exudes pure class.
Key track: ‘She’s Awake’