Hound share debut album ‘Another Lifetime In A Different Country’
The Shetland-based indie rockers are here with their hotly anticipated Pavement-inspired debut.
★★★½☆
Photo: Laura Meek
Shetland-based indie rockers Hound have dropped their much-anticipated debut album Another Lifetime in a Different Country. The album is released via Hand of God and follows their 2024 double EP Some Days Were Good... But Mostly It Was Grim. It’s full of tight songs, hooky choruses, casual energy and Neil Young-inspired electrifying meandering guitars. It’s got everything you want to hear from a ‘90s-inspired indie rock band in the year 2026. It’s tons of fun, full of energy and never takes itself too seriously.
So, what’s the catch? Well, there isn’t one really, except that Another Lifetime in a Different Country owes an obviously huge debt to perhaps the most important indie band of all time: Pavement. The lightning-yet-loose guitars and dry, slacker-style vocals sound just like Stephen Malkmus on those first two classic Pavement records. Admittedly, I’m a Pavement super fan, so perhaps I’m particularly vulnerable to making these comparisons. Unfortunately, when getting drawn into the excellent songwriting and energetic performances on show here, it is easy to get distracted by its clear homages to its influences. At times it can be a shame because Hound are doing plenty right and, at their best, are impossible not to root for.
Make no mistake, though: this album is tons of fun and music is, more than anything else, supposed to be fun, right? It doesn’t get much better than the album’s single and euphoric opener, Pick Yourself. The song details a broken relationship and sets things in motion with an exhilarating energy. Simply put, Pick Yourself is an absolute barnstormer. It surges out of the blocks with its incredible twin-weaving guitars that sound like they are racing each other to get to the end of the song. Unlike some of the other songs, it sounds less like Pavement and more like the band that Hound were born to be. Less slacker and more bombastic, impassioned energy. Hard Pass follows in much the same vein with its cathartic and catchy outro despite the clear Stephen Malkmus-inspired vocals of the earlier verses.
Rallying is a great example of Hound’s thrilling lead guitars that sound like they are asking as many questions as they are answering them. It’s followed up by Their Evenings and Two Weeks Of Bliss, which slow the pace down a little. There’s a bit more of a country influence on these tracks that works really well, and the moment when Their Evenings’ massive distorted chorus comes in is one of my favourite moments on the entire record. It’s exactly the sort of thing I want to be hearing Hound do more often.
The album ends with a brilliant trio of songs: Can’t Sue Yourself, Suntrap and Hometown. Suntrap ends with an absolutely volcanic guitar solo that closes the song with all of the overblown power of a seventies arena rock anthem. Hometown winds the record down with yet another memorable, endearing and infectious chorus.
As the record closes out, I can’t help but think that Hound are a good band, but they have everything it takes to become a great band. There’s plenty to love on Another Lifetime in a Different Country, but it still sounds like the sound of a band figuring out their own unique voice. The songs are tight, well written and memorable. With a bit more of their lovable personality, impassioned, bombastic choruses and a bit less of the obvious Pavement influence, Hound could really become a force to be reckoned with. For the time being, there’s plenty of fun songs on Another Lifetime in a Different Country to keep us going.
Another Lifetime in a Different Country is out now via Hand of God.
