Videos

Hero and Leander – Kiss Me By The Water Cooler

• 16th May 2013

Essex popsters Hero & Leander have released a video for new single Kiss Me By The Water Cooler. The tarck comes from the band’s debut album Tumble, released this week on Tapete Records.

Pop music should be honest, should have melodies that linger, and lyrics that don’t read like bad poems. Hero & Leander try to follow these rules, and it seems to be working. The band has attracted comparisons to Belle and Sebastian, Squeeze, Camera Obscura, The xx and Arcade Fire. Their lyrics range in topic from philosophy to snogging, particle accelerators to police tactics, beauty to life being a pain in the rump.

It started online, in 2010. All of them from Essex, four of Hero & Leander’s six members had written songs together for a while, and wanted a pianist, because pianos are lush. So they posted an advert. Along came Andrew, from Reading. The band’s indie-pop became more “musical”, and better crafted.

Then, they wanted a female singer, because female singers are lush. So they posted an advert. Along came Emily, from Liverpool. Initially, she thought the band might be internet killers, and she would only meet them in public places. Over two years they played gigs and had fun – playing music should be fun, right? – self-released an EP and got their hands round the baton of Great British Pop Music.

The band has countless influences, but it’s worth mentioning that they borrowed a Beatles song title for their debut record, Tumble. So they must like the Beatles a lot. Here Comes the Sun, along with the rest of the album, was largely recorded in band members’ bedrooms, in London and Essex. Tumble’s songs were designed to sound good no matter who performs them. It’s about the personality of the song, not the personality of the band. Substance over style.