The Mannerly Hoods - Ear Gear

The Mannerly Hoods - Ear Gear

Belfast indie two-piece The Mannerly Hoods (TMH) are eager to share their self-recorded EP Ear Gear with the world. Taped upstairs from a local bar using only a few microphones, their wits and a whole lot of elbow grease, TMH sound anthemic in this release, portraying themselves as far larger than their membership would suggest. Catchy but with the type of grime that comes with a football chant, Ear Gear is more like an earworm.

Themes of perseverance and love (both unrequited and otherwise) abound in this dirt-under-the-fingernails album. A gritty charm is added by the noticeable traces of home recording, which adds an enjoyable liberating feeling that might otherwise have been lost in a pristine studio. Their surrounding sunk into their songs, as TMH sound like a room full of rambunctious rabble-rousers. Choruses which feature mandatory participation are assisted by a seemingly reckless abandon in both the acoustics and percussion, as TMH continue on their rollercoaster through genres. 

The urgent thump of the vocals never seem out of place amidst the blend of indie, punk and pop, instead adding a jaunty rhythm to what otherwise would be an odd assortment of songs, all the while the backing vocals ensure the maintenance of a necessary roughage. Particularly impressive is mid EP track Chapel. Resiliently punk, animated and featuring a piercing exclamation halfway through the song - “I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS” cries the singer “IM GOING HOME” - this audacious chant is the high point of the EP. 


Energetic, playful and completely serious, Ear Gear is a dashing EP that takes sounding good as an absolute, with no quarter given nor taken. Abrasive and brave, TMH released another impressive body of work.

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