The brooding British boys are back.
Two years ago, a meticulously styled synth-pop duo named Hurts burst onto the scene in Europe with their debut record, Happiness, providing haunting New Wave revivalist cuts like “Wonderful Life,” “Better Than Love,” and their gorgeous Kylie Minogue duet, “Devotion.”
News has just broke today: Hurts is back in 2013, returning with a new studio album on March 11 entitled Exile.
And not only that, but we’ve already got a first taste of their new sound with “The Road,” a track made available immediately upon pre-order of the album.
Much like their debut, the song relishes in a dark chill of distant moans and ambient moodiness. Yet once the chorus rolls around, it’s clear that the duo’s now navigating in darker, murkier (and more live instrument-heavy) territory with their production: “When I close my eyes, I see you/When I close my eyes, you’re here,” Theo cries out against explosions of crashing drums and searing guitar breakdowns. The song’s final few, menacing moments alone reach nearly Garbage/Marilyn Manson-like heights.
Promising, yes–though I do hope the synthesizers haven’t been dropped entirely from the second effort.
For more, check out the duo’s official website. (There’s a teaser video as well, which US viewers can’t view due to YouTube country restrictions. Oh, outdated Internet practices…)
Happiness (Deluxe Edition) was released in October 2011. (iTunes)
