Escapades (Hungry Kids of Hungary album)
Encyclopedia
Escapades is the debut studio album
by Australian indie pop
band
Hungry Kids of Hungary
. Released in Australia on 1 October 2010 on Stop Start/EMI
, the album was produced by Matt Redlich and features two singles from the band's first two EPs - "Scattered Diamonds" and a re-recorded version of "Set It Right". Previous stand-alone single "Let You Down" was also re-recorded and two additional singles - "Wristwatch" and "Coming Around" - were released and gained extensive radio play on triple j
prior to the album's release.
The album was recorded in Brisbane with producer/engineer Matt Redlich between January and July 2010 in his home studio called Massive Studios.
Dean McGrath said: "We knew Matt before, he's a Brisbane based producer and engineer, and we knew him on more of a personal basis as a friend of ours. And he recorded the second EP that we released…we had a few options for recording, but in the end it just felt like the right decision to work out of home in Brisbane and to do it with Matt.
"He works out of the downstairs bit of his house and there's a pool out the back, which is great when you're recording in summer, because we started in January, and it's blistering hot in Brisbane. We'd record for two hours then have a swim and keep recorded…it was great! I think that sort of environment its conducive for us to do good work. We just feel really comfortable; it's the way we operate. You're not on the clock like you are in a major studio, you don't feel like you have to hurry…we just went in and recorded when we could. It was a really nice process."
's Feature Album for the week beginning Monday 4 October and critics were generally favorable of Escapades. It was praised by Time Off
reviewer Matt O'Neill who said it was "a meticulously crafted, stunningly accomplished endeavor" and awarded it five out of five star rating. Brisbane's Rave Magazine featured it as Album of the Week with a four star rating and Sydney Morning Herald's Bernard Zuel also gave it four stars saying "You're really going to enjoy this band. Lord knows I do." MX's Nick Mason also gave it four stars while both Craig Mathieson from The Age
and Mikey Cahill from Herald Sun
gave it three stars.
The album debut on the ARIA chart at number 24. The album also reached #20 in triple j's listeners top 20 album poll at the end of 2010.
-"Airsick" - 2:55 (Dalton/Mazlin/McGrath) (iTunes bonus track)
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Australian indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Hungry Kids of Hungary
Hungry Kids of Hungary
Hungry Kids of Hungary are an Australian five-piece indie pop band from Brisbane, Queensland. The band consists of Dean McGrath , Kane Mazlin , Ben Dalton , Remy Boccalatte and Ryan Strathie .- Origins and self-titled EP :Forming in mid 2007, the band appears to be the...
. Released in Australia on 1 October 2010 on Stop Start/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, the album was produced by Matt Redlich and features two singles from the band's first two EPs - "Scattered Diamonds" and a re-recorded version of "Set It Right". Previous stand-alone single "Let You Down" was also re-recorded and two additional singles - "Wristwatch" and "Coming Around" - were released and gained extensive radio play on triple j
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
prior to the album's release.
Recording and production
Escapades contains material that had been written by the band's Dean McGrath and Kane Mazlin from 2008 through to the album's release in 2010. A total of 47 demos were recorded for the record with the tracklist resulting in 12 tracks. A further two songs - "Airsick" and "Keep Talking" - were recorded for the album but didn't make the physical release.The album was recorded in Brisbane with producer/engineer Matt Redlich between January and July 2010 in his home studio called Massive Studios.
Dean McGrath said: "We knew Matt before, he's a Brisbane based producer and engineer, and we knew him on more of a personal basis as a friend of ours. And he recorded the second EP that we released…we had a few options for recording, but in the end it just felt like the right decision to work out of home in Brisbane and to do it with Matt.
"He works out of the downstairs bit of his house and there's a pool out the back, which is great when you're recording in summer, because we started in January, and it's blistering hot in Brisbane. We'd record for two hours then have a swim and keep recorded…it was great! I think that sort of environment its conducive for us to do good work. We just feel really comfortable; it's the way we operate. You're not on the clock like you are in a major studio, you don't feel like you have to hurry…we just went in and recorded when we could. It was a really nice process."
Critical response
The album was selected to be triple jTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Feature Album for the week beginning Monday 4 October and critics were generally favorable of Escapades. It was praised by Time Off
Time Off
Time Off is a free weekly tabloid-sized music magazine that is released in Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Time Off is the oldest free music/entertainment weekly in Australia. Time Off began on campus at the University of Queensland, and was originally printed on A4 glossy stock. In the late 70s, Time...
reviewer Matt O'Neill who said it was "a meticulously crafted, stunningly accomplished endeavor" and awarded it five out of five star rating. Brisbane's Rave Magazine featured it as Album of the Week with a four star rating and Sydney Morning Herald's Bernard Zuel also gave it four stars saying "You're really going to enjoy this band. Lord knows I do." MX's Nick Mason also gave it four stars while both Craig Mathieson from The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
and Mikey Cahill from Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
gave it three stars.
The album debut on the ARIA chart at number 24. The album also reached #20 in triple j's listeners top 20 album poll at the end of 2010.
Track listing
All music and lyrics written by Dean McGrath and Kane Mazlin (as noted below):- "Coming Around" – 3:27 (Mazlin)
- "Wristwatch" – 1:51 (McGrath)
- "Closer Apart" – 3:43 (McGrath)
- "Let You Down" – 3:14 (McGrath)
- "You Ain't Always There" – 3:27 (Mazlin)
- "Scattered Diamonds" – 3:38 (McGrath)
- "No Returns" – 3:01 (Mazlin)
- "Eat Your Heart Out" – 3:53 (McGrath)
- "Set It Right" – 4:18 (McGrath)
- "China Will Wait" – 3:38 (Mazlin)
- "The Vacationer" – 3:40 (McGrath)
- "The Window Shopper" - 6:19 (Mazlin)
-"Airsick" - 2:55 (Dalton/Mazlin/McGrath) (iTunes bonus track)