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Product Description
In mid-2016, Bloomington, Indiana lo-fi stylists Hoops made their Fat Possum debut with an eponymous EP that was followed in May 2017 by their first full-length, Routines. Six months later, Fat Possum rounds up the band's prior cassette releases, including their blogosphere breakthrough, Tape #2, in the catch-up compilation Tapes #1-3. By the time Hoops recorded Routines, they had honed a sound that colors their Clientele and Prefab Sprout-influenced songwriting with vintage synths, '80s guitar amps, and intentionally muddy basement takes. Their early tapes reveal both an early songwriting aptitude and experiments in the realm of that sound. Waves of heavy delay and tape hiss mark songs like the shoegazey "Courtside" and the more sophisti-pop-like "On My Corner," both from Tape #1. More coherent songs, as on much of Tape #2, focus on quirky rhythms and achieving the aural filter of an AM radio in a '70s-model station wagon. Early versions of songs from later label releases include "On Top" (Tape #2), an instrumental "Cool 2" (Tape #1), and an ultra-glitchy "Underwater Theme" (Tape #3). While it'll likely be interesting, production-wise, for first-timers to hear these recordings with a historical perspective, the biggest draw is the trove of good songs. ~ Marcy Donelson
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