h&c

Ask anyone over at the Blerd, we love the soul. We love the old soul, we love the new soul. Hank & Cupcakes has both with some future soul thrown in. Brooklyn-based (By way of Melbourne, Tel Aviv, Cuba, and Jerusalem), H & C are a male/female duo unlike anyone out there today (I’m looking’ at you White Stripes and Ting Ting’s!). Hank plays the bass. Cupcakes sings and plays drums…just like Phil Collins…but she stands up…and she’s way prettier…and her name is Cupcakes!

In the vein of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and Peaches with hints of The Duke Spirit’s sultry Liela Moss peaking through, Hank & Cupcakes debut EP is an electro-dance-funk fusion that is completely unique to the musical landscape in 2011.

Their cover of “She’s Lost Control” is much in the airy vein of Nouvelle Vogue but not stuck within the boundaries of any particular genre thanks to the out-of-this-world bass work from Hank. And it rocks through and through. “Ain’t No Love is an immediately infectious club sing-along and obviously a crowd favorite while “Roses” is a meditative journey into the serene and truly showcases how well H & C work together.

 

 

The recently released “Hit” single is by and far a step above all they’ve accomplished so far. In response to a record exec telling the band “they were really great but didn‘t have a hit”, “Hit” was born. It’s a defiant middle finger to the man and if this is what Hank & Cupcakes sound when challenged by the world then I can’t wait to hear what’s to come.

If you missed them earlier this year, this is your chance to see them before they make the leap ’cause that’s where they’re headed. They’ll be at The Church (Kenmore Sq. @ 69 Kilmarnock Street, Boston, MA 02215) on Wednesday, June 1st. Doors are at 7, Hank & Cupcakes hit the stage at 10:30. Tickets available here.

Photo credit: Claudia Fried