Americans do twee differently to the British. Whereas we produce icky monstrosities like The Magic Numbers and Belle & Sebastian (I’ll duck now, to avoid the scorn of a lot of people who would challenge me on the latter), our US counterparts manage to make something a little less discouraging.
‘Parade’ is the debut single from Nashville trio HAYPENNY, and is something of a frenetic Weezer song that for the first thirty seconds is highly irritating before the relentless, kind of jerky nature of the verses gets under your skin and becomes something worth tapping your foot too. It’s awkward and geeky sounding, with highly optimistic melodies and a kind of Happy Days charm to it. It’s jangly, but not overtly so – there is an element of balls to it, which is often lacking in the twee indie produced over here.
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The more breathy middle section followed by a short instrumental reminiscent of an understated Status Quo prevent the song from becoming too linear, and there are many ideas littered throughout ‘Parade,’ suggesting the influences of such luminaries as Talking Heads, Supergrass and Scissor Sisters. It’s much harder to pigeon-hole than it initially seems, and much less cheesy than the open bars indicate. To turn my initial cynical sneer into a grudging respect is something of a victory, and for that they at least deserve a spot of attention.
Behold the acceptable face of twee? Possibly.
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