CD Review: Hungry Kids of Hungary – Let You Down

Review: Lana Harris

Hungry Kids Of Hungary   Flutes have a fairy tale history of hypnotising the impressionable – think of the Pied Piper of Hamelin leading the children from the city, and the forest dweller Pan and his pipes that make maidens dance until sunrise. Is it just a coincidence that a trilling flute introduces Hungry Kids of Hungary’s new single ‘Let You Down’? The song is the first taste of the ‘Kids debut album, due out in 2010. Prolific bunch – the release follows straight off the back of Mega Mountain, released just this year, and home to Triple J rotated singles ‘Old Money’ and ‘Set it Right’.


‘Let You Down’ picks up where the last album left off, with the ‘Kids recognisably Fab Four influenced pop song structure and clever use of extra instruments incorporated into the single. It’s good to see that Ryan Strathie (drums, percussion) is continuing the Indie lust affair with that Hippie staple, the tambourine. HKOH relies on their lyrical style to set them apart from both the sixties and the bands around today. ‘Let You Down’, skips merrily across your ears, even as the chorus croons about broken hearts. Despite the painful overtones if you listen too closely, the chorus is more infectious than a yawn at 3 a.m. – I was singing it to myself days after I stopped listening to the track.

B-side ‘Study Hall’ is slower than the single, a tribute to wanting to take the one you love now back into those endless childhood summer days. It opens sparse as a school oval, with just a single guitar, and makes full use of the harmonising the group has become known for. It’s a happier love song, with a slower pace, and a good counterpoint to the less happy, but more snappy ‘Let You Down’.

If the single pre release is indicative of the new album, fans of the ‘Kids will not be disappointed. Having just wrapped up a national headline tour (and probably bringing back a trail of new followers on the back of that flute solo), if you missed them in your home town, you’ll just have to take make do with this entrée offering until the release of the three course album sometime next year.


Hungry Kids of HungaryHungry Kids Of Hungary at iTunes

Related:
Live Review and Gallery: Hungry Kids of Hungary @ The Zoo, Brisbane with Deep Sea Arcade and Ball Park Music – 14 November 2009