H_ngm_n have been peddling their own take on emo for several years now; stripped back, two-piece and contemporary, yet capable of reaching anthemic highs that evoke mid-2000s pop punk bands like Motion City Soundtrack and Fall Out Boy. ‘Paper Street’ is their debut album – released almost a decade after their first single – and it crashes with confidence and maturity. This is a band whose music feels like an intimate part of them that has grown alongside themselves over the years, and ‘Paper Street’ is a graduation party.
It speaks to the band’s confidence in this collection of songs that half of them have already been released as singles. ‘Paper Street’ opens with the one-two punch of ‘Spotlight’ and ‘Reach Out’. Both self-deprecating and optimistic, ‘Spotlight’ showcases the album’s core themes of ageing, adult frustrations and a genuine yearning to grow. Guitarist and vocalist Chris Childs slips through rhythmic complexity with Justin Pierre-esque relish in both vocals and…
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