Just released last month from the Captured Tracks label is the debut 7″ from Blacksburg, Virginia sextet HOOP DREAMS. There’s not much else out there to find right now from these guys but an LP is said to come in the future.
Not really knowing what I was getting into here, “XCPR” turns out to be a frantic little post-punk nugget. Nasally bass lines and shredded guitar licks come through that only intensify their wobbly, off-kilter sound, to the point where the A-side of the single sounds nothing like the B-side (which is strange considering there’s not much else out there to base their sound off of, making it difficult to decide which you should believe in more). Right Away B-side “Memory Light” sounds heavily influenced by pulsing electronics. “XCPR” featured minimal sweeping in the chorus and now “Memory Light” seems to be totally governed by the computerized sounds, a sure contrast between two songs.
However despite the major change up, “Memory Light” is still a memorable listen, filled out by endless blinking electronics that eventually give this song it’s malfunctioning, dub-like qualities. Within the track they seem to be mashing up a few different genres into one efficient track, coming through so glitchy and colorful it leaves you floored because you didn’t see it coming. This is a small but promising batch of songs for the future of Hoop Dreams, now we just hope they make up their mind.
XCPR –
Memory Light –
My Rating: Post-Punk, Electronic, Lo-Fi
Genre/ Tags: 7/10
XCPR 7″: Tracklist:
1.) XCPR
2.) Memory Light
Styrofoam Drone 