If we could recommend one band to you, it would be Home Counties. The newly relocated Londoners have released a very consistent discography since their inception in 2020. Bringing a sound that’s punchy in both hooks and lyrical content. Often striking hot on topics a vast majority of the population handle day-to-day.
Last week saw the release of their debut album Exactly As It Seems. An album that offers more of the same but armed with a newly purchased synthesiser this time around. Resulting in a dancier side to their sound that somehow works against their often scathing, sarcastic lyrics. Whether it’s to discuss the horrors of clubbing, the ridiculousness of landlords, or whatever else sucks about living in the capital, there’s an added flair for the hips to enjoy while your head nods along in agreement.
The album is one of our most anticipated releases of the year and meets those expectations in a big way. The new additions open a world of possibilities for Home Counties to explore, and they do so in a way that keeps the album from becoming predictable. ‘Wild Guess’ in particular stands out as a highlight purely because of the way the band strip back the instrumental. Allowing it to function as a ballad-esque palate cleanser that also houses its own personality. It’s great.
Whether it’s the multiple layers of groove on ‘Uptight’ – which continues to be a frontrunner for favourite single of the year – the persistent bass notes of ‘Push Comes To Shove’ or the wonky, Talking Heads-esque strut heard on latest single ‘Dividing Lines’, Exactly As It Seems houses a refreshed sound that is unrelenting, accessible and challenging in parts. It’s easily the most accessible release Home Counties have made. There’s something to connect with immediately, which makes it easy to dive deeper on the second, third, tenth listens.
Home Counties have brought with them one of the best debuts of 2024, and we’re thrilled to have Lois from the band talk to us about it for this month’s Peeled Back feature, as well as their favourite fruit too (of course).
Hello Home Counties! How’s it going? Hey! Lois here & I’m great thanks – busy in the lead up to the album release and tour!
What can you tell us about your debut album, Exactly As It Seems? It is unapologetically fun, with no holding back. It’s a real reflection on our personal experiences of moving into the city; from being in our first London flat and the entire bathroom ceiling falling on Dan’s head (‘You Break It, You Bought It’), to getting the bus home from the club at 11pm because you’re broke and can’t be bothered (‘Uptight)’. ‘Dividing Lines’, our latest single, is all about our experience from growing up in the British countryside to becoming a London based band. It’s our ‘musical memoir’, part 1.
It opens with the anti-clubbing club anthem ‘Uptight’. What would your ideal club night be? Ideal club night would include great music, pints under a fiver and a stop at the chicken shop on the way home where the guy gives you 8 wings for a quid as they’ve got to go but they’re still hot.
There are a lot of different aspects of living in London tackled on the album. The nightlife on ‘Uptight’, rubbish landlords on ‘You Break It, You Bought It’. Did it feel cathartic penning these thoughts and frustrations out during the writing process? For sure, it’s a reflection on the last few years, realising that you’re not as carefree anymore and being conflicted by the love of a great time with the responsibilities and awareness that comes with getting older. Getting it out through the music was more of an unavoidable outcome than an artistic choice.
In terms of sound, the album sounds far more electronic and dancey compared to your earlier stuff. Was this a style you wanted to experiment with, or did it all start with one song and branch out from there? It started when Will had a demo for Bethnal Green. It had been a dance track from the start and originally wasn’t going to become a Home Counties tune, but once the rest of the band heard it there was no going back – after that the rest of the song fell together so quickly we were performing it at Wilderness Festival two weeks later. It was almost like something we needed to hear, a confirmation that we could indulge in pop and move away from post punk whilst keeping the HC feel.
Was it hard juggling the heaviness of the themes against the catchiness of the music? Not so much. The lyrical style and themes have always been a driving force for Home Counties, carried through all the previous iterations of the bands HC was before. We reflect a lot on our mutual experiences, being lucky enough to grow up together, and we all love to go out and have a good time, so it just falls into place.
‘Wild Guess’ stands out as a real surprise amongst the synth-heavy material. How do you feel about the song in the context of the album? ‘Wild Guess’ was one of the tougher tunes for us to figure out. It had many different demos that went various ways, but it was something that we knew we wanted to explore and fine tune for ‘Exactly As It Seems’. In the context of the album, it may feel like a break from the chaos at the beginning but of course we brought that all back for the ending. It’s become a firm band favourite on stage and who doesn’t love a little samba feel? Perhaps hard to place within the album but definitely something that brings it all together.
What’s your favourite song on the album? This is a hard question, as a 6 piece we rarely agree but seeing as I took the time to answer your questions I get to pick. My personal favourite is ‘Wild Guess’, the ending always makes me grin.
Elton John described ‘Bethnal Green’ as “Fabulous Stuff”. How did that feel? That was a huge moment, absolutely unreal. We had no idea he would talk about us at all and to hear it on the radio was insane. After months of listening to the demo’s endlessly, working really hard to get everything together for the industry deadlines, it was a defining moment of clarity that we were heading in the right direction. It can get difficult to enjoy the songs after hearing them millions of times a day but this really brought us back to trusting the work we had put in. Getting that sort of recognition from Elton John (ELTON JOHN!) really does bits for a crippling ego.
And finally, what’s your favourite fruit? A pear. Underrated and delicious.