Hoo Ha! is the fourth studio album by Australian band Bad Dreems. It was announced on 3 March 2023, alongside single "See You Tomorrow".[1] Hoo Ha! was released on 19 May 2023 and peaked at number 10 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, becoming the band's first top ten album.
| Hoo Ha! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 May 2023 | |||
| Studio | Soundpark Studios, Melbourne | |||
| Length | 45:07 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Dan Luscombe[1] | |||
| Bad Dreems chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hoo Ha! | ||||
The band described the album as "pub-rock-meets-art-rock", with their rock 'n' roll matched with "literate, visceral lyrics that are equal parts character studies and modern commentary on the darker underbelly of Australia".[2]
At the 2023 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Rock Album.[3]
Reception
editNathan Whittle from Louder Than War said "Where many bands nowadays take pointed aims at those above, on Hoo Ha, Bad//Dreems turn their gaze inwards to often inhabit the characters whose ideals and desires shape their actions, regardless of consequence. It's a tack that adds a personification to the angst that flows through the lyrics, all over a backdrop of great riotous post-pub-punk. Throughout there's a critique of the closed claustrophobic minds of the songs' protagonists, bringing the subject into sharp view " Whittle called the album a "triumph".[4]
Al Newstead from Double J said "Building on the ferocity of 2019's Doomsday Ballet, Hoo Ha! fills in the gaps, weaving punchy political protest with searing sonic assaults that, occasionally, break into disarmingly melodic or atmospheric moments. Think AC/DC covering The Go-Betweens or Midnight Oil at their most intense."[5]
When Bad//Dreems were nominated for Double J Artist of the Year, they wrote Hoo Ha! was, "an unflinching take on the current state of social and political affairs in our country, set to a brand of rock'n'roll that sounds both muscular and vulnerable, as well as completely Australian."[6] Hoo Ha! was also rated their second best album of the year, where it was written, "the band excoriate the cultures of bigotry, xenophobia, greed, and hypocrisy that abound in our great southern land. What makes the album truly great though is the complete absence of self-righteousness."[7]
4ZZZ said, "the band sound bigger, punchier and more confident, with more of a focus on tone than on previous albums. Meanwhile, Marwe appears to have spent even more time developing and refining his lyrics, sharpening each line of commentary and carefully crafting each sinister stereotype. "See You Tomorrow" sounds like the Fall, if Mark E. Smith hailed from regional Australia, drank Resch's instead of real ale, and snorted meth instead of speed."[8]
Track listing
edit- "Waterfalls" – 2:58
- "Mansfield 6.0" – 3:18
- "Jack" – 3:24
- "Shame" – 2:58
- "Mallee" – 4:20
- "No Island" – 3:12
- "Southern Heat" – 3:52
- "Black Monday" – 2:38
- "Collapse!" – 3:06
- "New Breeze" – 3:04
- "Desert Television" – 3:47
- "See You Tomorrow" – 2:43
- "Godless" – 4:49
- "Hoo Ha!" – 0:58
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 10 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Bad Dreems Share New Single". Music Feeds. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Bad//Dreems announce album launch tour for June". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Nominees Announced for 2023 ARIA Awards". Music Feeds. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Bad Dreems Hoo Ha Review". Louder That War. May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Bad//Dreems - HOO HA!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Meet the Double J Australian Artist of the Year nominees for 2023". Double J. 31 October 2023.
- ^ Stephen Goodhew (12 December 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Double J.
- ^ Nick Stephan. "Bad//Dreems Hoo Ha!". 4ZZZ.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.