I finally have it in my grubby little mitts – the self titled debut album from the Thame based Rock band that is Hedroom. You probably will have seen the band on Scuzz or MTV2 at some stage or another with their video for first single ‘Morning Wood.’ If you are a regular visitor to Alt-UK then you will have probably read my ‘Skunkmonks’ review a while back – an EP from the band featuring the track ‘Morning Wood.’ I was not at all pleased with that track, but loved the rest of the EP, and luckily – this album is mainly like the EP taking a more Rock approach rather than a Ska-Pop one.
This album is 12 tracks strong, the only glitch in it for me being the quite dreadful ‘Morning Wood.’ The band have really come a long way since the days of their ‘Skunkmonks’ EP and the quality of their music has really improved in the way that they create exciting Rock music that will get your juices flowing and get you singing along. The album actually features a re-recorded version of the fantastic EP title track ‘Skunkmonks’ and even this song sounds a lot more mature now that it has been redone and this is a fine example of how far they have come since the early days. Their sound has grown up a lot since those days and they are really taking a far more mature approach to their music and I think that the result is a lot better than it ever was or could have been back in the days of ‘Skunkmonks.’ They are no longer just another teen band, they are far more than that with their intelligent lyrics, neat musical solos, and superior song writing ability. They just seem like a completely different band than they use to be and I far prefer this new Hedroom to be honest.
‘Cap’n Pimp’ is one of my favourite songs on this CD with its awesome kick off of instrumental heaven, which leads you into their great vocal styling. There are some sturdy bass lines in this track, great guitar riffs, some absolutely amazing drum beats, and vocals that will have you gasping for breath. I really loved this track and felt that it was extremely well written with everything on it really fitting together perfectly to make a song of absolute bliss. Hedroom really are a band of amazing musicians who have a fine ear for great Rock music with all 5 of them putting in a great deal of this 12 track album effort. Another good effort on this CD is the crazy tune of ‘Is that all.’ It really is a blinder and features some great sax notes as well as the usual steaming guitar lines, rumbling bass lines, crazy drum beats, and slick vocal styling. It has quite a relaxed feel to it as it is a lot slower than their tunes usually are, but still this tune easily keeps the momentum going and leaves you feeling well and truly satisfied at the end of it all.
So, this debut album from the Thame based Rock band that is Hedroom certainly does not disappoint, and if you have any sense whatsoever it should leave you with a smile on your face from ear to ear. This is music to be proud of from the band and will have all those Scuzz fans out there realising that ‘Morning Wood’ is not the only thing that they can do and hopefully people will give the band a bit of credit for their efforts here as it shows that they are not just going to be another one hit wonder band – by the sounds of things Hedroom are here to stay for a long while yet.
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UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
