Sassy Rock that Hides a Tiny Razor-blade up the Sleeve
The Hubbards are a 4 piece from Hull, England, who ostensibly have been together and putting out music since the early 2010s. Despite this, they have yet to put out a full length album. I for one am in sweaty, angsty anticipation for an album that’s got to be coming due soon.
A sexually ambiguous punk rock attitude meets bright, jangly guitar pop. The Hubbards have groovy beats paired with melodies of the best indie darlings of Britain today. But not far underneath is a subtly caustic bite of punkish attitude; cutting the feel of their lyrics against the grain of pop-y melody.
Admittedly, their music caught my ear initially, but upon a second hearing dug me in completely and for the past two weeks I’ve been on a bender of their discography, which is somewhat limited right now. Spotify sports a grand total of 14 songs, you can find a few more on YouTube. That being said, I can’t stop listening to all baker’s dozen plus 1 of their songs on loop. There’s simply that feeling that you can easily identify with the tone and lyrics of nearly every song, although the content runs the gambit of jealousy, lust, greed, fear, sometimes to extremes, I still feel that to a greater or lesser extent my much more boring life mirrors the feelings of the lyricist.
Standouts from their collection of songs so far are “Seven or Eleven” and “Body Confident” both of which are feedback heavy, up-tempo romps through a bevy of emotions. “Box 42” sports a more subdued beginning, but a blistering finish to the first verse bleeds into even more energy culminating in a kick-ass finish.
Even deeper cuts from early EPs like “Merv” and “Born to Fly” off of Cold Cut from 2016 have a similar ease of access for most listeners. 2020’s single “Press Hard” is another standout, boding well for hopefully a new EP or even full length release in the coming 18 months. Keep your eyes out for more from Hubbards soon, I know I need it, I might overdo it listening to the same songs over and over.
Best Song:
“Box 42” from Pretty Grudge Pop
Honorable Mentions:
“That’s Not Right” from Pretty Grudge Pop
“Seven or Eleven” (single)
“Dog Bite” (single)
Best Lyric:
“That girl you’re holding too tight, boy, I like to think we’re the same” – from “Dog Bite”
(I genuinely don’t know what that means, but i think it sounds right somehow).