Woman’s Hour - Jenni / Human

Woman’s Hour are, in many respects, the perfect 2011 indie guitar group. The Kendal based four-piece seem to encompass influences from all the prevalent trends in indie guitar music over the past few years, and their debut single ‘Jenni’ / ‘Human’ perfectly shows off these disparate influences.

The key thing about Woman’s Hour is that, despite very clear echoes of other groups and sounds, they never sound derivative and never lapse into pastiche. ‘Jenni’ is a lovely piece of mellifluous guitar pop in the vein of Vampire Weekend but, unlike the American band, singer Fiona Jane’s sultry vocals give it a nice soulful edge. Whether or not it is a tribute to Jenni Murray, who presents the radio programme that shares the band’s name remains to be seen, but a band that references Radio 4 programmes is unquestionably a very good thing.

Even better is the flip side ‘Human’; the music is stripped right back here, and it is a wonderful exercise in minimalism and the use of space. Jane’s pure and clear voice a perfect fit for the subtly progressive groove. The vocal refrain of “I’m only human / I’ll do what I can” is genuinely affecting and both tracks make for an all-round very impressive debut.