Words: James Frostick
Image: Kalindy Williams

Melbourne art-rock crew Hooper Crescent are following up their self-titled 2018 EP with Object Permanence, a full-length record arriving at the end of July. We’re stoked to be sharing the first listen of lead single ‘Logos’, a snappy number that examines the disconnect between creativity and capitalism.

Anyone working within a creative field is well acquainted with the tightrope walk between income and integrity. Earning a liveable wage from one’s talent is a hard thing to accomplish in itself – there are lots of people who’d exploit artists simply because they don’t value their work. We’ve all encountered someone offering the bold-faced proposition of paying with exposure, but on the other end many of the well-paid jobs involve working with or for morally bankrupt and exploitative organisations. This crisis of identity created and exacerbated by the emotionless and profit-driven capitalistic machine sits at the core of ‘Logos’, the new single from Melbourne five-piece crew Hooper Crescent. The group, which boasts members from other tip-top acts such as Mares, No Sister and Hideous Towns, is two months away from dropping its debut LP Object Permanence through Spoilsport Records (Jarrow, The Great Divides), and they’ve elected to lead proceedings with an acerbic ode to maintaining identity in the face of the passionless plutocracy.

Sonically, Hooper Crescent craft music stylistically accented by indie-rock catchiness and akimbo post-punk jaggedness – a savvy duck-and-weave display that unites complex-yet-oblique guitar work, a stout rhythmic base and sharp lyrical critique. ‘Logos’ boasts a higher-fidelity sheen compared to the group’s 2018 EP, offering a cleaner sound that brings the track’s smaller details into sharp relief. Looping back to the song’s intent, I gather sentiments surrounding the tug-of-war between ‘success’ and the sanctity of identity. On ‘Logos’ Hooper Crescent touch on the deals offered with an asterisk attached, the artists bankrupting their creative cache by working for free, the promise of above-board agreements equating to simple lip service, and the now-forgotten artists whose uncredited work reduced to mere flashy asides – monuments to the relentless march of the capitalist construct. It’s a cutthroat world for artists – ‘Logos’ is a reminder that sometimes maintaining creative integrity means more in the long run than making a quick buck. Listen here: