Hull-born, Leeds-based band The Hubbards recently released a new single named ‘Body Confident’, and let me tell you, it’s a gooden.
This band never fail to impress me on how they can sound so very modern, whilst retaining such strong vibes of the past. ‘Body Confident,’ the punchier half of their latest AA side, exhibits a strong hit of melody alongside agitated guitars and purposeful lyrics. Talking of greater meaning, the music video sees lead singer Reuben Driver, as a barber – the clip goes on to document his character’s experiences in the barber shop, whilst focusing on his depreciating and increasing confidence levels, that as you might guess are connected to his appearance – this is where the song and the thematic context intertwine and make for a pleasing revelation.
After watching the video a few times, I noticed that Reuben’s haircut changes throughout. One minute actually having hair, to the next, a buzz cut. I also picked up on the fact that when Reuben had his hair in a more modern day style, he was cutting the hair of customers, also, in more of a modern day way. As apposed to when Reuben has a shaved head, he tends to cut his customers’ hair in a more shorter ’80s / ’90s trend. Since the title of the track is called ‘Body Confident,’ I personally read this as, depending on how fashion styles change over the decades, more often than not, you have to keep in with that look to feel, well, more confident. Now I don’t know if the band meant for the video and song combination to come across that way, but that’s the beauty in music, I think, it tells different stories to each individual listener.
On top of this English Literature analyzation, the melody also gives this track one hell of a tantalisingly tuneful boost and I can guarantee that the more you listen to this song, the more you’ll love it.
The AA single, featuring ‘Body Confident’ and ‘Easy Go’, is released now through Scruff of the Neck Records.
Catch The Hubbards at the following live dates:
7th October – Sebright Arms, London
13th October – Fruit, Hull
21st October – The Shed, Leicester
22nd October – The Brunswick, Brighton
