Heroes in Hiding – Decorated Absence – Review

I’ll admit it, I’m a teeny tiny bit biased when it comes to Heroes in Hiding. Having watched them perform last summer I’ve been a devoted fan since. Their stage presence and indie-folk sound is just an alluring listen, and the band themselves are a cut above the rest, their stage presence just has this undeniable charm and a quintessential cheekiness that you can’t help but admire. They’ve gone from strength to strength since last year. Following the release of their debut EP Hush in March 2014, they were the only Irish band to be chosen to play at the inaugural Secret Solstice International Music and Arts Festival in Iceland last year, an impressive bill that included some mega acts, like Massive Attack and Disclosure. They eventually graced the homeland with their presence again, playing the ever-popular Castlepalooza, Le Cheile, Life Festival, and Electric Picnic. John Murray of RTE Radio 1 went so far as to describe them as “Ireland’s next indie hit makers”.

So what have the boys been up to recently? Well, loads, if I’m being honest. Fresh off the back of recording session with acclaimed producer Philip Magee (you know Phil, he’s been associated with a few acts, no biggie – just The Script, Kodaline, and Miles Kane, maybe you’ve heard of them?), the boys have quite a jam packed summer ahead of them, already set to grace the famous stages of the Forbidden Fruit Festival, Castlepalooza, and with many more billings to be announced, it looks as if Heroes in Hiding will be one act on the festival circuit this summer. Although, not ones to sit around and wait, they’ve already played Whelan’s Main Stage at this year’s Barn Dance Festival and the One’s to Watch Festival at the beginning of 2015. An impressive 2015 to say the least and we’re not even in May yet, which, coincidentally, is when their new EP Decorated Absence will be available for pre-order; the 8^th of May if you want to be specific. It will then be available for steaming on iTunes and Spotify, and other major online distributors worldwide from the 5^th of June.

Their new EP is just a delicious sampler of the boys’ musical talents, demonstrating how far they’ve come in just a year, a singular listen indicates that they brought a wealth of experience from their touring last year to the studio this time. My personal favourite is ‘Today, I Mean It’, there’s a sort of Bon Iver quality to it. The vocals have the enchanting rustic quality to them, it’s a slow, bubbling track that culminates in this sort of uplifting feeling. The golden touch of Philip Magee is evident in this EP, there’s a certain sort of polished quality to the vocals and sound overall. ‘Casanova’ is clearly a crowd pleaser overall though, with Dara Quilty playing it all week on his Big Ride Home. Again, the tracks just convey this really powerful, emotive element in both their songwriting and sound. Their lead singer is able to convey so much in his vocals, it’s all so delightfully palpable and genuine; and it’s great to see a track like this get the recognition and airplay it deserves. ‘Lay Down in the Fire’ has a more “belter” quality to it, it’s the closest thing to a rock anthem on the EP with the powerful gush of drums throughout which I can only imagine will make it an amazing song to witness live.  If this EP is anything to go by, I expect the boys to have a very exciting summer ahead of them.

However, if this internet malarkey doesn’t quite cut it for you, you can see them live and in the flesh for the launch show and release of the EP in the Twisted Pepper on the 5^th of June. Being the generous boys they are, there are free copies of their delightful new EP for anyone who purchases their tickets online from Tickets.ie. Why are you still reading? Go. Go buy your tickets – quick!

For more info on upcoming events see their Facebook page.

Review by Elaine McDonald