Hot Little Hands Dynamite in Black and White by: Justin Pearsall Thu:17-Jul-08 Label: Rubber Year: 2008 WB rating 80 out of 100

Chatting with Wireless Bollinger last year in an interview about their inclusion in the 10 Band’s to Watch feature, Hot Little Hands’ Tim Harvey told us that the band’s debut album, Dynamite in Black and White, was three-to-four weeks away. At this stage the album was already overdue by three or four months. Now, a year after this interview and 16 months since the originally conceived date, Hot Little Hands have finally dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s on their debut record.

The obvious question is: is it worth the wait? The simple and correct answer is: undeniably. Built on a wide sonic palette that references the 70s space odysseys of Bowie, 80s electro rock and the harmonic inventions of the 60s, Hot Little Hand’s debut marries the musicality of decades gone with the frenetic energy of the current Australian electro pop scene. The result is a record that avoids both retro tagging and the homogeneity that weakens nearly all electro pop albums.

Opening with a Sgt Pepper-esque horn introduction, ‘Where Are You?’ is the perfect way to start the album. A more recent addition to the Hot Little Hands repertoire than other potential singles, ‘Where are You?’ is the best realisation of the band’s influences yet – synthesising their penchant for harmonies, space theatrics and melodic pop in a flawless package. Other highlights are plentiful and include the jilting ‘Dynamite in Black and White’, where vocalist Tim Harvey’s swagger and the choruses whistled refrain take on an addictive quality, and the fiery ‘Scene of the Crime’ with its aggressive riffing and jazz-infused solos.

Last year Hot Little Hands’ performance at the WB 10 Bands to Watch gig was clearly out shadowed by the arrival of Oh Mercy and the buzz of Little Red. Less than a year on, Hot Little Hands have reversed this perception. Where Little Red’s Listen to Little Red stacked singles together, avoiding the album-as-art mentality at their own peril, Hot Little Hands have crafted a record that works both singularly and pluralistically. With Alex Gow and Oh Mercy yet to deliver on the promise of their excellent live showings, Hot Little Hands have catapulted themselves to the top of last year’s crop – joining the likes of the stylistically different Grand Salvo, whose album Death is one of this year’s finest releases.

More importantly, Dynamite in Black and White stands as a great record not only when compared with their Bands to Watch contemporaries, but as a great record period.