Cargo Records

Hugs

SKIBUNNY. That name rings a bell…… Some people know about Skibunny from the legendary weekly parties they ran in Belfast (Skibunny has built a following among Belfasts hipsters. Recommended: NME; The groundbreaking and downright charismatic Skibunny: BBC RADIO 1; Edgy and optimistic: THE LIST; It's the best place to go out in Northern Ireland: ACROSS THE LINE, BBC RADIO ULSTER).

Some people went to many of the amazing gigs Skibunny promoted (The Go! Team, Sparklehorse, Guided By Voices, MakeUp, James Yuill…). You may even have one of their mix CDs, which after being played by Radio1’s Rob Da Bank (“Absolutely wicked!”) took the Skibunny DJs to places like Tokyo, Osaka, New York, Austin, Prague, as well as festivals like Glastonbury, T in The Park, Rockness and Bestival. Perhaps you’ve come across one of their many remixes –including Paloma Faith (Epic), Tilly & The Wall (Moshi Moshi), Dag For Dag (Saddle Creek), ASIWYFA (Smalltown America).

Let’s face it, it was only a matter of time before they became a band…SKIBUNNY is TANYA Mellotte (vocals, guitar, keys) and MARK Gordon (vocals, bass, guitar, keys). With one eye on tunes and one on the dance floor, “Hugs” is 40 minutes of bittersweet electronic guitar-pop beating with an uplifting heart, sitting somewhere between NEW ORDER, GOLDFRAPP and THE CURE, ranging from the washed-out bliss of Aah Ooh to the crunching stomp of recent EP lead track Walk Don't Walk, and including a re-imagining of the Afghan Whigs track Milez iz Ded. The album’s central theme is about wanting more than your lot, about taking risks in life and love, and if it doesn’t work out? You pick yourself up, dust yourself down and do it all over again, but this time a little bit better. Hugs also features guest vocals by MAPS and Kaori Tsuchida from THE GO! TEAM.

“Floating comfortably somewhere between The Orb and Four Tet, Skibunny’s ‘Aah Ooh’ hovers with an air of contentment upon a cloud of euphoria” GIGWISE.