Shyer – ‘Hideout’

Getting straight to business with a rush of jangly guitar from Zak Tysoe and Amanda George’s emotive but restrained vocals introduced in the songs opening 15 seconds, ‘Hideout’ is an impressive opening shot from Cambridge-based Shyer. There’s a sunny vibe to this track which feels like a continuation of the sound I would associate with circa-1990’s indie stars like The Cardigans or The Sundays.

 

They’re not a retro band though and the sudden blast of fuzz guitar on the chorus takes the song beyond effervescence and into something heavier, although the lyrics remain as euphoric as the title and cover artwork would suggest ("My heart is the place where we can hideout" is the sign-off for the chorus). A great stop-start middle section provides more welcome surprises and shows off an easy rapport between the players.

The shiny production and mixing gets the best out of the whole band - Chris How’s restless bassline is given great clarity in the mix and a subtle double-tracking of the vocals during the chorus gives their killer pop melody an extra sparkle. This is a very likeable and intriguing introduction to Shyer and I really look forward to their next record.

Rich

https://shyer.bandcamp.com/track/hideout

Shyer play for R*E*P*E*A*T at The Portland Arms on December 2nd 2017