Hotspur
Hotspur EP
Rockville, Maryland
www.hotspurmusic.com
If you love the 80s, Hotspur will tickle your taste buds in the retro fashion that they sound like they’re known best for. Their music is undeniably 80s synth Pop; hopefully their fans are a little more modern. Their self-titled EP is a beautifully crafted blast from the past that is clean, fun, poppy and upbeat – everything you want from a band that is using some of the best flavors from one of the best decades. Hotspur is one of those bands that immediately can pass the indie-scene-Go, collect their $200 and head straight to Top 40 radio. Lyrics that tell a story, instruments you haven’t heard since your days in the middle school band, and catchy hooks that give you the energy and desire to jump up, let your hair down and dance like no one is watching. “5th of July”, the first track off the EP, should be played on the 5th of July so as to capture the energy from the National holiday everyone exudes and throw it into the rest of the summer. Its their strongest track on the EP and it clearly displays the talent within Hotspur. About the dating game and all the little rules that go with it, the clever chorus “This game of chess/Where everything stays set/And no one makes a move/So no one gets upset” carries this dance-friendly, xylophone splashed, “sounds-like-a-true-story” little diddy. “She’s Got To Go” is the Top 40 hit these guy’s are probably dreaming will soon be emanating from teenage girls’ lips. Too bad its way too sexual for young girls to be singing about to begin with, but it’s still packs a punch. And don’t worry: the ballad is on there too, entitled “Have You Seen This Girl?” Almost boy-bandish, they still manage to rock out during the chorus, but maintain the repeated-title-in-chorus cliché. If they continue the love-struck, heart-broken, I Love The 80s, “we use pretty instruments in our music” theme for the rest of their songs when they do release a full length record, these boys will be golden for Top 40 radio. Slap on some crushed velvet suits, throw in some girls dancing their hearts out, tear jerking lyrics and that sure-fire xylophone, and you got yourself a fine crafted 80s synth pop band, Hotspur, primed and primped for the general public.
