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Sharp Practise - "Hiya"
A review by May Wiseman, Score! Magazine - July 2002

You know that feeling when you're driving home from a night of partying; the sun is rising, you've drunk yourself sober, and really all you want to do is get home, maybe just to get to your very own bed- seeming as though there's always distractions that completely screw the whole event up. The birds chirping for one, and everyone dressed up - going to work/church smiling, waving to you in a friendly manner; worst of all is the fact you have to be at work in two hours. Damn!

Now flashback to the 80's- not that pure cheese glam rock that we all loved, not Aqua Net's last claim on fame, and not the foggy tube-top year, but to the New Wave generation that spawned from New York punk era. This Hiya formula is one of those that really can't go wrong, and the same one that kept most of us waiting for the nascent band to emerge from the compost pile back in the day.

The Sharp Practise freshmen effort objectively is monotonous, power pop, and tediously brain funked- meaning you cannot get the these beats out of your head! The lyrics are simpleton zackeries, and the sound is happy, so happy you will hum! Damn again! "Eve Got Adam" is the hook here (of course it would have to be the first song), but the best tunes are found in the nonconformist tracks.

You know that riff that goes jooga jooga jing? Some of the successful obscure bands use it, and it can be found here on "OK", and "Complete History" (one of those breaths of fresh air after they moved the sewage treatment plants out of your neighborhood kinda thing). Well, this is this band's conspiracy for following you through to track twelve, and it works very well! Amazing sound there I'll admit. However, the best tunes cannot be heard until toward the end of this ordeal.

"Maybe It's Gonna Be Tonight", a song about whether or not one should give up the crush or choose to pursue, the one that you'll only want to hear when you're on the way to partnering up with that tasty flavor of the year. "Him Or Me" is a Kinks-sounding effort where all you want to do is crank the cheese up, synth or not. This is the making here, Hiya, for one of those pop (non- boy band) revolutions everyone waiting for.

Warning: this should not be played on a happy day, nor should it be played on sunny days. This is UK power pop, and should be handled in a super sad state- you will feel better having this touch the part of your brain that makes you joyous. Yuck!