Retro Suites: Review by Laura Mathias

Posted by Relight on 06 November 2009 | 0 Comments

Retro Suites
Hummbug
Ambiel Music

The breezy, upbeat and catchy, harmonic melodies of Hummbug’s debut album have the ability to instantly improve your mood. Listening in my car on a cold November day, tracks like Never Meant That convince me that it’s summer all over again. Quite an achievement considering I’m sat in traffic in torrential rain. However, the longer I listen, the more I find myself struggling to distinguish which songs I’ve already heard – the similar rhythms and plain melodies throughout resulting in an album neither unlikable nor extraordinary. This is not to say that Retro Suites isn’t worthy of a listen, as there are certainly gems amidst this somewhat monotonous album. The pensive and soulful Saving Grace fittingly serves as the album’s saving track, for example. The epitome of easy-listening indie, Retro Suites is a promising start for the trio. LM