Album Review: Hard-Fi – Sweating Someone Else’s Fever
2 min read
Hard-Fi are one of those UK bands where their songs more than likely preceded their name. Hits like Hard to Beat and Living for the Weekend launched them into the charts and sat them pride of place with other big hitters at the time, like Arctic Monkeys and The Subways. They went on hiatus however in 2014, only returning nearly ten years later with new songs and the promise of a new record. Now, two years later, they’ve done just that with the release of Sweating Someone Else’s Fever.
The album opens with They Ain’t Your Friends, an immediate and pulsating indie tune that rides on a solid beat. The lyrics about fake friends evokes the album’s stark cover of the up-close mosquito, and even the high pitched and panned synth solo towards the end seem to link back to the imagery. Digo Nada has a bolero vibe, with a reggaeton beat and up-stroke guitars. The Spanish rap melding into English and then back at the mid-point is incredibly satisfying. You Rule My Heart’s harsh synth key melody with the slowly building arrangement opens into an anthemic chorus, while Humpback Whale incorporates a gritty bass line and piano to the same effect. The latter turns into a half-time groove that feels surprising but enjoyable.
Looking For Fun has the drive of older Hard-Fi tunes, with socially conscious lyrics on looking for an escape whilst having no money. Always and Forever sits perfectly in the track list despite being first released back in 2024, and Now and Then barrels along with an excitable urgency. Arise comes out of left field, being an almost completely piano driven song, only opening in the last minute or so with a programmed drum beat and high backing vocals. The album closes with another previously released song, Don’t Go Making Plans, a song that marked their return after a decade long hiatus. It’s fitting that it completes their comeback LP and is a joyful and groovy conclusion.
Sweating Someone Else’s Fever is partway between the mid 2000s and present day. Many of the tracks have elements that the band utilised in their best hits; socially conscious songwriting, infectious riffs, and energetic beats. There are areas of experimentation too, some parts of which are refreshing to hear. It’s a solid comeback album that will no doubt reignite the band’s popularity.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
