Josh Kolm
ARTS EDITOR


“In Through the Outro,” the instrumental opener to Panda Boy, is a bit of a skewed advertisement for the Hoop. There’s nothing wrong with the aggressive, technically sound riffs, but it doesn’t set up nor do justice to the nuances of the rest of the band’s first full-length album.

It’s tempting to draw a psychedelic comparison, but the Hoop’s meticulous and stuttering drive feels more like a groove-heavy version of late-1990s Canadian rock (see: Sloan) than Pink Floyd.

“Wedding Portrait” is the song most emblematic of the band, with a plunky, down-played verse eventually expanding into a full, major-chord chorus. The whispy, just short of yelping vocals go a long way to adding a bit of extra character to the music, which isn’t as much formulaic as it is head-bobbingly subtle in its variations.

There are a few mold-breakers. “Grown Man’s God” enters into a style of angst-vocaled, organ-harmonized Wolf Parade circa 2005-style of indie rock, and becomes the most memorable and entrancing song on the album.

The Hoop strikes an intriguing balance between what it means to be both indie rock and a jam band. They instil the old jam band mindset and sound with a dose of youth, in that they aren’t afraid to let their groove and flair guide them down more interesting avenues. But by keeping themselves tethered to rock and roll, they prevent themselves from straying too far.