Album Review: Big Box of Chocolates by Hooton Tennis Club

If the concept album was dead, Merseyside four-piece Hooton Tennis Club have discovered a way to resurrect it in style. Rather than focus on imaginary scientific formulas or overly complicated board games for inspiration, they'd much rather observe what's going on around them. The ins and outs of their living rooms. Literally.

Full Review >>

Liverpool’s Hooton Tennis Club take a diary-style approach, penning songs about their own lives. They write about their friends – fictional and real – and have their own quirky characters come to life through an effervescent brand of jangle-pop. With the Merseyside four-piece’s second full-length, they’ve expounded on what made their debut such a delight.

Full Review >>

Hooten Tennis Club aren't the kind of band that makes waves; they don't make a splash either, and there's no annoying rock & roll swagger in their walk. Like the nice chap next door who looks after his neighbors' dog when they go on holiday or the kid who helps carry old folks' groceries to their car, Hooten TC come across as regular guys and the songs they play are easygoing, friendly, and big-hearted. Their previous album, Highest Point in Cliff Town, was an unprepossessing, laid-back lark, filled with catchy indie pop tunes played and sung with boyish charm.

Full Review >>

A short year after their debut album, Hooton Tennis Club are back with Big Box of Chocolates, a collection of jangly rock songs that make a point of straddling the line between relaxed and lazy. And although Hooton's musicianship can get a little ramshackle at times (on opener "Growing Concerns," for instance), the Cheshire band can also demonstrate some serious songwriting chops when they put their mind to it. Lead single "Katy-Anne Bellis" is a perfect example, displaying just the right balance of fuzzy grit and melancholy, breaking your heart with its lyrics dedicated to an ex-roommate.

Full Review >>