Hips, limbs, heads, swinging, thrusting, colliding. A disco ball plunges to the dance floor, shattering beneath your feet into a thousand glistening fragments. That’s what Humdrum feels like. Released on October 24, the sophomore album from East London six-piece Home Counties is a hypnotic blend of buoyant basslines, chiselled synths, seductive drum patterns, and slick lyrical interplay, something truly fresh for alternative music.
A standout element of Home Counties music, which has been mastered on this latest piece of work, is the seamless execution of multiple voices. Lois Kelly and Will Harrison are two giants doing the tango. One error could be disastrous, but if both step up to the plate, then we have a performance of a lifetime on our hands. Their voices really feel as if they were born for one another.
Lyrically, Humdrum lyrically evolves the band’s dynamic by creating distinct characters and narratives. The opener, “Take You Back,” intertwines overlapping vocals that melt into each other like candle wax, underpinned by lyrics of confrontation, insecurity, and miscommunication. The same technique resurfaces on “Spain,” the album’s lead single, where each vocalist embodies a different perspective; one complacent and oblivious, the other outspoken and defiant.
The album’s lyrical scope is spectacular, spanning tones and themes with ease. It moves from first-world frustrations on “Roundabout” to the emotional weight of the 2024 UK Riots on “When in Rome.” The latter track is a standout, an unflinching depiction of the bewilderment and shame felt across Britain, dissecting the ignorance and bigotry that persist today. Its final lines leave a haunting reminder that these problems are far from over.
Alongside producer Al Doyle (of Hot Chip), the band crafts an electric sound that’s both powerful and supple. Soft synths and charismatic basslines form irresistible grooves on “Take You Back,” “Ravelling,” and “Roundabout,” while the same tools are transformed to create cinematic tension on “When in Rome” and “Meet Me in the Flatroof.”
The album’s texture is rich but never overcrowded; every element feels intentional. The drumming stands out, shifting between deep, gritty bass drums for the darker moments and shimmering cymbals or hi-hats that leave an ethereal dust hanging in the air. Home Counties use guitars sparingly, but when they do, it’s explosive. The finale of “Spain” erupts into a storm of electric energy, as if the sound had been waiting to break loose all along.
A real highlight comes in “Meet Me in the Flatroof,” where a brooding guitar riff propels the track into its final act with such force it’s almost whiplash-inducing. The song builds into a dark, intoxicating crescendo that lifts the listener skyward.
Humdrum isn’t flawless. “Cheeseball” and “Like That” fall short of the album’s intricate texture, experimenting with retro gaming tones and folk influences that don’t quite land. But these minor dips can’t overshadow the brilliance elsewhere.
Humdrum is a mesmerising performance of dazzling heights. A stage and landscape of movement, groove and grit punctuated by once-in-a-lifetime performance and narrated with tears, a smirk and a smile. There may be minor costume errors, but the atmosphere is euphoric, and the disco ball is flying across the air before your eyes.
