Today’s tip-off is the latest from PE favorites Heypenny.
Nashville’s favorite electro-funk-spaz-rockers Heypenny have surprised everyone with their latest release, the Tendre e.p. No dance floor anthems, no sweaty shake downs, none of the Heypenny that you thought you knew. On the opening track “LaLaLoud” singer Ben Elkins gives you fair warning of what to expect with the chorus “He’s thinking there’s one, I’m thinking there’s two ways about it, he’s getting his gun, I’m getting my Sgt. Pepper’s record out and turning it up lalaloud.” Maybe the “he” in question is all of us who had neatly concluded who and what Heypenny were, or maybe it’s Elkins himself. Either way, the challenge is met superbly on a collection of songs heavy on slow, sprawling beauty. There are frequent moments that recall the aforementioned Beatles in these songs, although it cuts closer to the epic ballads of Abbey Road and Let It Be than the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink-too experimentation of Sgt. Pepper’s. The open space of these songs allow us to hear Elkins voice in a new context, and the soft confessional style suits it well. Complimented with impeccable arrangements balancing strings, backing vocals, minimalist percussion and subtle electronic elements it is still unmistakably Ekins singing, but it truly is a whole new shade of expression. Ultimately what Tendre does is bring to the forefront the musicianship, songwriting and mastery of melody that has always been on display with Heypenny, we’ve just been too busy dancing to really appreciate it. A beautiful new direction by a band proving that it isn’t ready to be pigeonholed just yet.
You can grab a copy of Tendre for free by going here, and you can check out the video for “LaLaLoud” below.
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