Hundred Plus Club combines intense, often dark, emotions with an upbeat indie rock style that perfectly mixes the negative and positive. It’s an easy-to-get-into sound applicable to life’s many uncertainties and in-betweens.
In their earlier discography, the group often drew inspiration from early 2000’s post-punk revival and indie rock groups such as The Strokes, Interpol, or MGMT. Check out our previous posts on the band to learn more.
Yet their most recent release, “Gobsmacked,” finds a bit more in common with 80’s alternative and post-punk groups like The Cure or Echo & the Bunnymen. Sticking to the shadows with an edgier sound, Hundred Plus Club evolves their style substantially on “Gobsmacked,” delving deep into a modern and groovy goth rock sound.
An 80’s drum machine loop acts as the rhythmic foundation, while lead singer Zain Shirazi’s open-ended lyrics jump off the page:
“I see those menacing eyes / I wanna buy a bird / But I can’t contain”
The song peaks at the melty chorus, where the bouncy drum part, grooving bass line, and Shirazi’s despondent vocals float about. Cold, hollow synth tones fuse the interlocking elements together into a sleek chorus. Towards the end, the group turns up the intensity with a driving bass line, raging guitar part and the song’s loudest use of live drums to make for an exciting, best-for-last finale.
Stream “Gobsmacked” on Spotify or Apple Music.