Hoops know the power of dream-pop. The four-piece band from Bloomington, Indiana released their self-titled EP last year, an effort of Eighties-nodding lo-fi and gleaming guitar. It focused less on evoking a dreamy mirage of the past, though, and more about confronting the present wholeheartedly.
"Rules," the first single from Hoops' forthcoming album, Routines, is another blissed-out jaunt, but it's also short and sweet. The two-minute track finds them crooning, “I know I’m breaking all the rules this time” over shimmering, uptempo bass lines and clamoring drums. Their airy, soft approach could almost pass for a Wild Nothing B-side at first, but “Rules” proves to be more boisterous. Hoops can deliver a polished product and, throughout this angsty jam, they become more and more irresistible.
