A Reason To Play Safe

Here's a new one: Hey Champ have finally released their debut Star. At first sight, nothing impressive, right? But I must admit this sounds promising, the idea of victory melting with the feeling you get when you're somewhere up high (and no, I'm not talking about drugs, ok, kids?). Or maybe it's just me and my habit of seeing things from different points of view. The band cites as influences, on their MySpace profile, "Art, History, Science, the 80s, Cartoons, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, and of course Personal Misfortune / Insecurity". Yeah, apparently these are the main influences from many other bands nowadays (except maybe for Where in the World is Carmen San Diego). But let's allow the music to speak.

Ok, perhaps this could not seem to be the most original thing you've heard in your life. Basically, it's your typical synth pop band with lyrics about human emotions and stuff. However, it is so difficult to be original, that most people prefer to take it easy and play safe but play damn good. And this is what Hey Champ did.

They know what to do and they know how to do it to make it sound almost perfect. More than anything else, the synths are truly amazing, the salt and pepper of the album and that small detail that gives every song a special, unique fragrance. Combined with Saam Hagshenas' warm, pleasant voice, this makes a very nice first release. It's impossible to listen to this album and not fall in love with at least one of the songs. My sincere bet is on the first two tracks, the energetic Shake and the nostalgic Word=War.

Star is a very promising debut and a release the band should be proud of. I can only express my sincere admiration and wait to see what will the future bring for them.