As the millions currently waiting with bated breath for the return of Netflix juggernaut Stranger Things will attest to, 80s nostalgia is stronger than ever.
It’s also true in the world of indie pop, where a host of up-and-comers are piling enough synthesisers on their tracks to make The Thompson Twins blush – and Leeds darlings Heir are a case in point.
The five-piece have certainly thrown themselves into their local scene after meeting as students at the Leeds College of Music: Last year they started a collaborative arts nights called Blueprint, a mixture of live band shows alongside art and photography exhibitions.
The band soon took a back seat though as their touring career began to really take off, combining support slots for the likes of Honne and The Dunwells alongside sold-out headline dates around Britain and Europe.
With new single ‘What You Haven’t Got’, it’s easy to see why the band are finding such receptive audiences. Mining from the same Fleetwood Mac-inspired pit as Haim and Pale Waves, it finds frontman Tom Hammond’s detached lead vocal cruising over a typically laid-back groove.
Detailing a break up that inspires sadness but no little defiance, he sings “Give it up/ Why’d you want to call me up/ To talk about another love?” Lord knows why any sane person would want to hear about their ex’s new beau, but at least Hammond is having none of it. If the twinkling, cheery synth solo in the single’s outro is anything to go by, it hasn’t brought him down too much.
It’s the sort of easily dance-able track that sure to go down a treat live, especially as the band’s shows are sure to get bigger and bigger as their debut album approaches. The last few singles have received strong support from Tom Robinson on 6 Music, and the band have been camped in Abbey Road with Bowie and Beatles producer Ken Scott. With their stock on the up with each release, the dates following ‘What You Haven’t Got’s release may be your last chance to see them so up close and personal.
