Reviews of Hooray For Earth's second album, Racy, suggest that the Brooklyn outfit would do better if they swerved away from convention. However, by the evidence of the title track, convention suits them like comfortable shoes.
Similarly, the evocative title is not matched by the style of the track. Instead we are given something far more nostalgic, with a slow 4/4 beat letting you know exactly what is to come from Hooray For Earth. This isn't just your typical rock ballad -- there are many stages to this song.
The opening of "Racy" suggests something more far-out than what it eventually becomes. Soon, though, it thrusts you into the arms of a stadium rock song, but immediately zooms out to something more low key. While this doesn't last long, the melody is not predictable, and is easy to sing back. This is a good combination, and proves just as effective on a large scale.
The song feels fairly light on its feet (in a good way), and doesn't appear labored, like so many songs in this style can be. The addition of starry, futuristic sound effects could have been a mistake, but is more NASA than naff. Indeed, what could have been a thoroughly unconvincing song has avoided all the possible pitfalls to come up with something really rather good.
If the critics think Hooray For Earth's latest offering is rather too mainstream for their liking, so be it. It's true, we haven't yet seen the birth of a new indie superpower. What we have, though, is a catchy song with a good chorus that will keep you entertained this summer.
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