The American quartet has apparently tried to appear at every festival possible, and the breezy pop of single Song Away has established itself as a firm favourite with radio stations.
All of which, you imagine, is immensely satisfying to vocalist Ben Grubin and bassist Jerm Reynolds, who were unceremoniously dropped by Colombia in 2006, when the group was still a duo.
Yet Reynolds avoids any gloating when discussing the early setback, and is instead refreshingly philosophical.
“It taught us some valuable lessons, and it wasn’t really anybody’s fault. We hadn’t figured out what we wanted to do – we were still a two-piece and very incomplete as a live band. I think they sensed that at the label. I think we learned very heavily to focus on ourselves, and not anyone else.”
Their gratitude is perhaps understandable. Originally forming at university as an electronic heavy two-piece where “all we wanted to do was go to a party and blow it up”, Hockey took the decision to expand not long after the Colombia rejection.
According to Reynolds: “We decided we really wanted to have a rock band. We just couldn’t do rock and soul and everything else with just a drum machine, and trying to get a big, explosive chorus was just impossible.”
While many bands insist that they try various styles, only for their records to suggest otherwise, Hockey genuinely do leap around with gusto, meaning there’s 70s funk ebbing out of Work, while Put The Game Down is a big, bold rock number and there’s a healthy dose of rapping on Curse This City.
Reynolds claims such diversity is borne out of a fear of being thought of as dull. “We never put any restrictions on ourselves, in terms of production or songwriting. That meant what came out was pretty jumbled and pretty strange.
“I think we fear that we’re boring people, unless we’re coming up with something totally new and totally different. If it’s not exciting for us it’s not exciting for anyone, so we’re constantly pursuing a strange mixture of sounds. And that’s part of what makes us unique.”
The recorded results can be heard on Mind Chaos, which is released on September 28, just over a week after the band stop off for a live date at King Tut’s in Glasgow. To record the album, Hockey alternated between working in a studio and the less stylish confines of a basement in Portland, where the four-piece now call home.
“Over half of it was recorded and mixed in our house. We had a computer with protocols and about one piece of recording gear, and we spent about four months recording most of the record. Then, after we signed to EMI, we were asked to do five more songs in the studio.
“It was kind of interesting to go from our basement to a big recording studio. We produced it all, so we had figured out a formula that really worked for us, and part of that was being really basic, really stripped down with the instrumentation, and even in a real studio we intended to make it the same.”
As for Song Away, which appears likely to be the band’s breakthrough hit, Jerm is surprisingly candid when admitting his first thoughts on the song.
“Song Away was actually written about two years ago. It came from a place where we were trying to write a pop song, and we weren’t sure how it was going to come across. I remember hearing it back for the first time and thinking, ‘That’s totally insane. I’m not sure I want to be part of a song like that, it’s too limpid.’
“But after a while, I realised it was bold and different and mixed a lot of classical styles with something a bit more futuristic. There’s something strange about it which I like.”
The group have also become known for apparently liking green issues, touring America last year on a bus fuelled by vegetable oil. But Reynolds is at pains to stress that while they are interested in such matters, they aren’t going to preach about them.
“It is something we’re passionate about, but at this point we’re still just a touring rock band driving and flying round Europe. I don’t think we’ll be stopping our shows to give a speech – you have to earn that.”
Hockey play King Tut’s, Glasgow, on September 20. The album Mind Chaos is released on September 28.
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