From The Hills Beneath The City is a record about place, travel and momentum. That said, it's also relaxed and nostalgic and stylised into the very epitome of Americana rockabilly.
The quartet hails from New Albany, Indiana USA, which is across the river from the city of Louisville; hence the album's title. But From The Hills… kicks off On The Road away from home, and the bobbing piano chords and two-part harmonies are tinged with melancholy as the whole band sings the chorus, “I'm going down where no one knows me”.
In the same vein as Alabama Shakes, with whom they've toured, Houndmouth have tapped into the meeting place between blues and old-school rock'n'roll, and from the blistering organ and hard-luck tale of Penitentiary to the epic journey of Hey Rose, with its wonderful saloon-style, almost gospel harmonies, they don't stray one inch from their dusty, sun and heat-drenched style.
Perhaps this was intentional, but tracks ten and 11 on the track listing seem mixed up. According to the lyrics, I'd like to say that Comin' Round Again is the standout track but the cover says it's called Halfway To Hardinsburg. Confusing. Anyway, it has a swell of passion that is too muted on their other tracks. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Myers cries out with a raw, country drawl and a bit of wry comedy that demands reflection from the listener: “Well I finally got some money and a daughter by the name of Jane/but all that money that I got, I acquired from selling cocaine”.
From The Hills Beneath The City is far from original but Houndmouth are paying homage to their genre and paying it well. It's a great soundtrack for catching trains, pushing drugs and swinging in hammocks.
