Listen to ... Northern Smokers Club – Hold the Phone
Expertly-crafted, heartwarming indie that'll leave you wanting much, much more.
Allow me to get straight to the point. Northern Smokers Club – as a project – is one with heaps of promise. Consider this a vain and hopeless attempt to say so before the group explodes in popularity. But without any excess editorialising, what’s sparked that promise? Well, take in the Sheffield quarter’s first pair of singles and you’ll soon see why.
On Hold the Phone specifically, an innocuous opening – what first sounds like a seemingly standard piece of acoustic-driven pop – is ripped apart; expectations explosively elevated as soon as the vocals pick up. They’re vocals that could – and this isn’t a reflection on the the rest of the track – turn even the most grating mundaity into a radio-ready piece of easy listening.
Given the colossal tonal shift from the relatively reserved introduction to the powerful chorus, you’re left wanting more – and that insatiable desire is addressed. Refreshingly, the track gives itself a chance to breathe – and you an opportunity to truly savoiur each component part that emerges from the woodwork. Throughout its five-minute runtime, you’ll no doubt unearth more with each repeat listen; each discovery even more of a treat than the last.
But what’s more impressive – as I clumsily alluded to in a previous review – is the sheer polish on the track; and in the accompanying video. To clarify, Northern Smokers Club is an amalgamation of previous projects that have played across the country. Yet still, said polish deserves praise, regardless of relative experience.
What’s more, after only a handful of replays, the chorus will be well and truly stuck in your head. It’s simple, broad but fantastically well executed – making its allure all the more powerful.
Maybe some cynical part of me is being ground to dust; the part of me that might interrogate what the song’s all about. But even without diving into the lyrics, there’s a real sense of personality that comes through with such aplomb. So naturally, when the chorus hooks you in, you’re already invested. And said investment pays dividends: it’s an excellently crafted piece of indie.
The band are two for two when it comes to brilliant singles. Keep an eye out on their Instagram for more news as it lands. And while you’re there, follow us too.