The Proper Ornaments are soon set to release their second full album, Foxhole via Tough Love, due for release in parallel with single ‘Memories’, which is premiering above.
The London-based band are comprised of Veronica Falls’ James Hoare and TOY’s recent addition Max Oscarnold. Foxhole is a follow-up to their first release in 2014, entitled Wooden Head, and working in a similar vein, this new album showcases Hoare’s knack for ‘60s pop songwriting but with cleaner, piano-based accompaniment. This was achieved using self-imposed limitations; “doing [the album] on an 8 track… gives the songs a more sparse sound.”
Here, The Proper Ornaments are now refining and exacting their process, both as composers and musicians. The resultant feel is more of gentle, resigned melancholy rather than the upbeat power pop of their previous release. In reference to this, Hoare says that “[they] wanted to move in a slightly different direction from Wooden Head, away from the distorted guitars and into a more peaceful area.” ‘Memories’ unravels at a leisurely pace, though is not without hooks in its winding chord progressions.
