Taking the phrasing, “I need some space,” quite literally, “Hey Love,” the new single by garage rock duo The Margaret Hooligans, is a love song that goes to the lengths of low Earth orbit to make that distance a reality. From their forthcoming third album, “Saturday Night In Bartertown,” this track is layered with the right amount of trippy psych while maintaining some of the inherent rawness of jamming out in the garage. Bandmates Meg Cratty and Mr. Strontium crafted together a song that leans into the enchanting appeal of the vastness of space while remaining tenuously tethered to terrestrial troubles.T
From the start, “Hey Love” reels you in with this entrancing, sort of primal drum beat. Soon after, it is joined by a surprising level of grittiness from an electric ukulele. As it plays on, it builds up a meditative presence around it. It’s a muted type of psychedelic that steers clear of falling into the mind shattering void. Instead, it wants to drift off into the inky nothingness immediately beyond this blue marble. However, it does pick its spots to send up signals that there’s someone back on terra firma wanting to link back up with you.
Meg Cratty’s sultry vocals sync up well with this track’s ability to mesmerize you into a trance. Continuously, she transmits this lovelorn frequency to a space station docked in orbit and back to Earth again. Altogether, it brings to life this growing divide in communication by not only putting miles, but layers of atmosphere between two partners who are journeying apart.
“Hey Love” is a type of psych-ish, garage rock experiment that proves that the less is more method can win out. It does not need to go over the top to evoke a significant sensory shift for the listening experience. All in all, The Margaret Hooligans made a contemplative, celestial soundscape from within their own earthly bounds.
Written by Travis Boyer
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