Dublin trio Hook‘s latest single ‘I Want To See You Tonight’ marks their first single of the year, and is a further articulation of their take on new wave and grunge music. If you haven’t heard of Hook, think of early Pixies’ signature loud-quiet dynamic and driving basslines, fused with a little bit of Elvis Costello and Nirvana.
Hook formed in early 2019, and they have released a string of singles and an EP (‘!’). Their music is “about small moments, the brutality of love and finding the beautiful in the simple”.
In the case of ‘I Want To See You Tonight’, the band stay rigid to the simple formula. Lead vocalist Eoin O’ Donnell croons over the instrumental with a quirk in his voice in Elvis Costello fashion, repeating the title and hammering home the message, centring around the optimism that someone feels at the start of a relationship. The ponderous bassline carries the track and knits all the elements together to create a solid and eminently listenable song. The single also features the more lo-fi b-side ‘Caroline’, which displays a softer side of the band while keeping their sound’s grungey characteristics.
‘I Want To See You Tonight’ is an excellent display of the legacy of 90s alternative music. You could place this song in the 90s scene and today’s scene concurrently, and it would seamlessly fit in both contexts. But luckily, Hook doesn’t descend into tribute and instead creates a competent showing of the genre.
Quotes are taken from Hook’s Bandcamp.
Listen to ‘I Want To See You Tonight’ on Spotify.
