On May 19 of last year, Jérémie & The Delicious Hounds released two self-titled EPs on the same day. The first sung in English and the second in French, both are home to the band’s signature style of blues-infused, soulful funk.
The band has been gaining momentum. With ample French media coverage from the outset, a buzzed-about show on Live at The Roslyn, and an upcoming second round at the annual Festival du Voyageur, the group is continuing to gain popularity with their first release.
Having a self-proclaimed “delicious sound,” the band lives up to their name. Their style is smooth and sexy, focused and vibrant, each track infused with energy and motion.
“Back on my Roll” kicks off the first EP. The song is a rollicking, funk number with scratchy guitar, trumpet, and sax flourishes, flittering keys, and frontman Jérémie Brémault’s smoky voice poised front and center. The tune is unmistakably The Hounds once you hear it, and will have any partygoer (or home listener) on their feet and dancing. After a few rounds of the chorus, the song will have wormed its way into your ears for an undetermined length of stay.
“Sound the Alarm” ends off the first EP in the style of reggae set to bubbly funk keys. The song builds as instrumental parts are added, adding a poppy edge yet still grounded in the reggae rhythm section. Brémault’s vocals are always strong, with an edge that always seems to suit the music perfectly.
“Allez-y” starts off the second EP with the same bountiful bounce. It features a booming horn hook that leads the refrain through the rest of the song. The track goes through ups and downs throughout, shifts and tempo changes. The song is a buffet of sounds with harmonic backup vocals, humming and hopping keys, sporadic instrumental bursts, staccato guitar, pattering drums, and an indelible groove, with the same party-starter ethos first encountered in “Back on my Roll.”
There’s no doubt that with these two EPs, Jérémie & The Delicious Hounds are onto something great, by tapping into the soulful and funkified grooves of old and putting an idiosyncratic twist with their modern take. The EP is definitely worth checking out live at one of their two shows this upcoming Festival du Voyageur on Feb.18 or Feb. 23.
4.5/5
