British synthpop duo, Hurts (AKA Theo Hutchcraft & Adam Anderson) have been on my list of bands to see since the release of their STUNNING debut album, Happiness in 2010. Unfortunately, the band has yet to really spend any time promoting their work here in America but here’s hoping they do at some point! The band recently released their sophomore album, Exile, on March 11th via Major Label/RCA. Preceding the release of the album was the band’s LUSH lead single, “Miracle,” which was accompanied by a simple, yet still epic visual (which you can watch BELOW the fold). While the song has a certain Coldplay feel to me, it’s just too beautiful to ignore. This song sounds expensive, and I like expensive things.
Hurts announced the release of their second Exile single, “Blind” on May 12th followed by an extensive European tour in October and November. So far the new album has yet to perform as well as the band’s debut, which peaked at #4 on the UK Album Charts, but I’d still call it relatively successful. Exile peaked in the top 10 in 30 countries, coming in at #5 in the UK midweeks before ultimately settling in at #9. “Miracle,” unfortunately has not seen the same sort of success, peaking at #120 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Hurts‘ poorest charting single to date. Here’s hoping “Blind,” an “epic and anthemic track that builds into a huge chorus” succeeds where “Miracle” did not, although I think we all know how second singles typically perform…
Debut album Happiness sold over 25,000 copies, making Hurts the fastest selling new band of 2010 in the UK. Now, with over 2,000,000 sales worldwide and 14 top 10 iTunes chart makers (including #1’s in Germany, Switzerland, Austria Finland and Luxembourg) the band is hoping for even more success this time around, and I am hoping for a hop across the pond and a show in NYC! I don’t see this happening any time soon, given their recent UK/European tour announcement. Commencing October 25th in Manchester, Hurts will embark on their biggest tour to date, playing dates in London, Copenhagen, Oslo, Warsaw, Prague, Berlin, Brussels and more – this on TOP of their already sold out shows in March/April.
Check out the “Miracle” video below and stay tuned for the “Blind” video, coming soon. Also posted the Russ Chimes remix of “Miracle.” The remix EP features additional mixes from Burns, Breakage, Kill FM and ∆T∆TIK∆. Good stuff.
