One Year On: No Hot Ashes' 'Hardship Starship'

Here at Only A Northern One, we’ve been looking back on some of our favourite albums from 2019. Fresh off supporting Blossoms and The Amazons, one year ago discofunk quartet No Hot Ashes dropped their debut album Hardship Starship - without doubt, one of the strongest debut projects in recent memory. The album recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and it is easy to see why it went over so well within the Northern indie scene. The smooth and silky vocals of frontman Isaac Taylor match perfectly with the infectious jazz filled beats provided by guitarists Luigi Di Vorno & Jack Walsh, and the drumming of Matthew Buckley.

Standout track ‘Trouble’, is reminiscent of the early work of Arctic Monkeys, with its laidback vocals and insane riffs being a throwback to tracks like ‘Brianstorm’ and ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’. When it comes to the group’s discofunk roots however, there is arguably no better track to symbolise it than ‘Bellyaches’. The song features a spectacularly vibrant backing track, and Taylor’s fantastically emphatic lyricism is the perfect pairing to create a track that feels completely anthemic. The wide variety of sounds on Hardship Starship is a real testament to No Hot Ashes’ versatility, as there really is something for everyone on the album.

Hardship Starship is an absolute triumph of a debut album for No Hot Ashes, with it being no surprise that it’s still in rotation one year on. As the lads provide a short and sweet insight as to just why they’re one of the most exciting collectives in the current Northern music scene. Their lyrics about political defiance and getting drunk with your mates resonate perfectly with the current views of young people in the North, and it will be exciting to see where these four fellas from Stockport go from here.

Words: Jordan Morris