Howland are: Tyler Adams, Lee Vincent, Joe Barnes and Jake Saunders
Genre: Pop-rock/indie
For fans of: The Hunna / Vant / Sundara Karma
Following the incredibly successful Hide, released in 2016, it was only amount of time before Brighton based four-piece Howland released their next huge indie track. Unlike Hide though, which is so raw and powerful, No Way is more relaxed, effortless even and shows how in such a short amount of time Howland are improving and are ready to challenge this highly competitive market.
The opening 40 seconds on the track prove this point; mellow vocals from Adams are joined by a relaxed rhythm before the progression chords come in alongside the killer feature of this track, Saunders’ drumbeat. At this point you know the song is only a matter of seconds from erupting into a catchy indie chorus; and you wouldn’t be wrong. “No waaay, will you staay, with me” is so easy to pick up and will no doubt be a crowd favourite when the guys get out on the road.
By the time the guitar solo kicks in these lads’ potential is already well established and it’s clear that big venues will be calling very soon. There aren’t many bands that are immediately comparable to Howland. The closest in the current market are The Hunna who are currently on a run of sold out gigs across the country or or Clean Cut Kid or Clean Cut Kid who had an extremely successful 2016. There is no reason why Howland can’t be at that level very soon with the quality of tracks coming from the band.
It’s not secret from our Twitter account that this catchy, energetic track is one of our most played of 2017 so far. Howland have done an incredible job creating an accessible track for the mass market but also for those music fans with an eye for detail who can identify the intricacies and thoughtfulness in both lyrics and musical performance. As with many bands H2N seems to be reviewing recently, there is so much potential for this track to be cheesy, to be boring and to follow the same old formula but once again Howland manage to make sure they stay accomplished and grounded. Overall it is a superb track and on the road is going to sound incredible for sure.
The guys will be touring in February and March, dates below. If you would like to catch up with H2N we will be in attendance at their Leeds show on 11th March.
21st February – The Hope & Ruin, Brighton (Headline)
23rd February – The Finsbury, London (Headline)
2nd March – The Stag & Hounds, Bristol
4th March – The Joiners, Southampton
11th March – Verve Bar, Leeds
16th March – The Dog & Whistle, Hertford
Halfway 2 Nowhere 