“A time capsule of English eccentricity”: Home Counties unveil debut album

Undeniably, London-via-Buckinghamshire six-piece Home Counties have created a considerable buzz due to high-energy live shows and the steady release of fresh alternative guitar music. Well now their debut album is here: ‘Exactly As It Seems’ (via Submarine Cat Records).

The band are well established as one of the UK’s most vital alternative groups, following two successful EPs (Redevelopment and In A Middle English Town) and countless, sold-out headline shows at venues including The Lexington, as well as embarking on nationwide support tours with Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Courting, and bdrmm.

They cast a large net when it comes to influences for this particular project: The Strokes-esque punk elements, early-noughties pop, the high-energy, dopamine-filled live shows of Confidence Man, with influences that also feel drawn from LCD Soundsystem. This eclectic blend show Home Counties as a group that aren’t afraid to blur the lines and experiment, leading them undoubtedly into a fun and exploratory way of creating.

Exactly As It Seems follows an array of previously released cuts, including their witty look at the state of renting and housing in London "You Break It, You Bought It", "Uptight" - described by BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders as "a post-punk mirror maze of electronics", or the beautifully synth-laced "Dividing Lines". It’s this sharp and fresh cohort of tracks that draw a fine line between lyrical comedy and wit, providing a fun edge to their music, and musical buoyancy. But Home Counties bring all parts in equal level.

Speaking on the project, vocalist and guitarist Will Harrison explains:

“The album is about moving to London and the experiences of that. It’s an album about despair at your current financial prospects, feeling guilty about your role in gentrification, being overwhelmed by consumer choice, and disintegrating friendships.” 

And fittingly, the band recorded Exactly As It Seems in a small studio in Hackney where and when they could, all while balancing 9-to-5 jobs: “all six of us crowded in like sardines”, Will Harrison recalls.

 Above all, Exactly As It Seems showcases an expectation for the band’s rapturous live performances; a time capsule of English eccentricity, all with a focus on melody in its purest form.

Catch Home Counties on their UK headline tour this Spring, with festival appearances around the country confirmed at Deer Shed, Dot To Dot, FOCUS Wales, and Are You Listening.

Photography by Alex Amorós.