When Graham Hopkins found himself on the other side of Warner Music Ireland’s door, by rights it should have signalled a downturn in the drummer-turned-singer’s fortunes. Not so.
Since the release of their debut album Head On, Halite have also morphed, Foo Fighters stylee, from the singular vision of one multi-instrumentalist to a more ensemble effort. With Keith Farrell, Binzer and Derren Dempsey on board from here on in, the Halite sound is infinitely more muscular and ambitious.
Not only did an own-label release afford Halite the opportunity to flex and bend their creative muscles, but it seems that the ‘guerilla’ approach suits their songwriting approach perfectly. Instruments and equipment were begged, borrowed or stolen, and as such the edgy, uncompromising production on Courses seems wholly intrinsic to the narrative of the band’s songs.
Although Halite’s dedication to noise makes for a refreshing change in today’s acoustic terrains, ultimately it’s the infectious, hookish nature of the songs that really delivers the killer blow. The album opens with of ‘Note To Self’, a song that immediately identifies Halite as worthy successors to the Pixies’ throne, while ‘A Fine Thing To Steal’ sits nicely alongside the most accomplished moments of American lo-fi.
From the sound of things, recording Courses was an adventure of the band, but the next few months will prove to be very interesting indeed for them.