Album Review: Red Rum Club - The Hollow of Humdrum

Red Rum Club have really perfected the art of the short-but-sweet album. Their debut LP, last year’s Matador, clocked in at ten songs and thirty-one minutes; their sophomore effort, long-awaited The Hollow of Humdrum, comes in at ten songs and twenty-nine minutes - making it a good deal shorter than your average indie album. But what they manage to do in that time is staggering: it must be said upfront that every track on Humdrum is a certified banger. There’s not a single dud here, just song after song of northern indie excellence.

At its core, it’s an album about memories and relationships – but it doesn’t ever feel sad or longing. It’s about the happiest aspects of life; ‘The Elevation’ is about how good, emotionally speaking, a partner can make you feel, while ‘Ballerino’ is a flirty little number about the joys of dancing, and ‘Dorado’ perfectly captures how much fun can be had in a relationship.

The standout track is almost certainly lead single ‘Kids Addicted’, a song about striving to find the best in ourselves no matter what difficulties we may face. Fran Doran’s ever-excellent vocals lend the choruses an emphatic punch, while Joe Corby’s superb trumpet skills back him up beautifully. The band’s use of a trumpet is a good chunk of what sets them apart from their competition; the instrument gives later tracks ‘Girl Is a Gun’ and ‘Brando’ the same vibes we may expect from a late-60s Spaghetti Western film – it’s easy (and rather amusing) to envision the six Liverpool lads wandering through the desert with Stetsons and ponchos aplenty, which is exactly the feeling that ‘Girl Is a Gun’ gives off. It’s a track that’s packed with optimism and a real sense of adventure and lust for life. ‘Vivo’ also captures that attitude perfectly; perhaps the most punk-y track on the album, it’s a real go-getter of a song that successfully gets its listener pumped up. 

But perhaps what’s most remarkable about Humdrum is how its slower songs are just as impactful as its louder ones. ‘Favourite Record’ is the standout of these, a calming and honest track that leaves its listener with a longing for love that never feels sad – only hopeful. For all its blasting choruses, funky bass lines and excellent trumpet riffs, the main feeling one gets from Humdrum is contentment. Unsurprisingly, it’s an album that simply leaves you feeling good about yourself and your life, and that’s something that all too many of us need – more often than we’d like to admit. 

What Red Rum Club have provided with The Hollow of Humdrum is an all-too-welcome escape from reality for half an hour. It’s an album that doesn’t require you to think too much or contemplate your existence (though you can certainly do those things if you wish) – it just makes you want to dance and feel good about yourself. And for that reason alone, it’s easily a contender for album of the year.

Words: Matt Taylor

You can check out our interview with Red Rum Club here.