The Hubbards are an indie pop band based just at the other end of the 1079 in Hull. Despite being from just down the road, this is the first time we’re sharing any of their music, and it’s all thanks to their debut album Drip-Fed.

By Graeme Smith

There’s a growing trend in pop and rock to tackle some difficult subjects, and in that regard, The Hubbards are very much part of the zeitgeist. Their new album takes on themes such as mental health, masculinity, and a world that’s fallen out of love with love itself.

Chopper Baby is a case in point, a track that hopelessly gropes for meaning and never quite finds it. It does so with a deceptively upbeat arrangement that canters along through a pleading bridge and an explosive, anthemic chorus. It’s a definite highlight.

Elsewhere we gets shades of light and dark, and grunge and pop. Opening track Going Home is a microcosm of it all, with the dramatic rises and falls, nihilistic lyrical lows and soaring instrumental highs. Spot Me, I’m Clean has a relentless tempo and a story that speaks of vulnerability. Stale is stripped-back and introspective. Press Hard is devastating but it’s quickly countered by the reluctantly hopeful one-two finale of cathartic Good When I’m Done and consolidatory The Cracks Let It In.

Drip-Fed is an incredible debut and I’m so glad to have discovered The Hubbards through it. They’ve got a sound that will do them well on the UK indie scene, and a certain something that sets them out from the pack. Now’s the time to get acquainted with them.

The Hubbards are Reuben Driver on vocals and bass, Roman Burns on guitar, and Alex Green on guitar and backing vocals. Drip-Fed was recorded at The Nave Studios with Leeds-based producer Andy Hawkins. It’s out now via Manchester-based label Scruff of the Neck.

The Hubbards will be taking the album on tour across April, with local stops at Oporto, Leeds on 11 April, and The Welly, Hull on 19 April.

You can get a hold of Drip-Fed here, and can give it a listen below.