Everyone Says Hi - Everyone Says Hi

Although this self-titled record is technically a debut, given that Everyone Says Hi’s main protagonist is former Kaiser Chief Nick Hodgson (who released a solo record, ‘Tell Your Friends’, in 2018) it’s actually almost a reintroduction; a similar warmth emanates from the songs as its pseudo predecessor, and the indebtedness to classic pop songwriting that runs through Hodgson’s work has now garnered a handful of big-name songwriting collaborations.

Opener ‘Somebody Somewhere’ nods to the The Strokes’ softer moments; ‘Brain Freeze’ takes in both ‘90s acid jazz and a psych-lite guitar breakdown, while channelling Supergrass’ latter turn; ‘Only One’ comes in like a recent Vaccines number; and ‘I Wish I Was In New York’ seems right from the ‘70s soft-rock playbook, as both its own title and the album’s sleeve suggests it might. Which is all to say, ‘Everyone Says Hi’ is impeccably constructed and quietly lush – although towards the latter half, it does threaten to straddle the line between ‘quiet’ and ‘background music’. It’s likely one for those who default to Matt Maltese’s soft croon, say, or gave repeat plays to The Vaccines side-project Halloweens - either way, just don’t expect a riot.