Hey Love! Margaret Hooligans

 

I must begin with sorry. For myself more than you gentle reader. I had a difficult month. Tubes, tablets, bedpans. Serene simplicity and once more into recovery. But this is a moment of escape. I was allowed my laptop and I went straight to Spotify to see what beauty I could find.

I think for the first time in many years I have actually managed to review a song on release day. Perhaps I shall become once more a real journalist of note.

So, The Margaret Hooligans. I have written about them before. I listened to Doggie Pizza Crust many times and I think everything I said about it was fair. At the time I didn't say one thing that was on my mind because I felt like it would be presumptuous of me to do so. But now I will.

I think they have become serious.

That may seem like an odd thing to write, because in my experience original musicians that write their own songs are very, intensely serious about what they do. It is an existential part of them. When they are dust, their songs will be all that remains of them. Of course they are serious. But, that can manifest itself in many ways - mania, energy, desire, power.

I think what I mean in this context is that the artwork for the last Margaret Hooligans single shows a genuine step up. A notable lift. So musically it equalled what I thought was their previous best song, Soulfather. The test is, do you sustain that level? Can you equal or surpass your previous best and build from there? Or rather will you return to good, but not quite as good? After all, we really do only remember the best ones. They are the legacy.

So, Hey Love. the Artwork is even better. The song is...

Well look, listen to it. Now. Just give it a play. https://open.spotify.com/track/54CeCbYZxPaMclnFJJ8ek0?si=207f5c1e9aee4399

Listen to that drum track. It is so subtle, so elegant, so precise. Now notice the mix. The way the vocals blend perfectly. Here are some words I would use to describe this song.

Heartfelt. Open. Vulnerable. Mature. Complex. Compelling.

It's brilliant. A song worth coming back to life for.