Hijack Hayley : Inside
Hijack Hayley
Inside
Inside, the sophomore single from indie rock outfit Hijack Hayley, does a phenomenal job of making the song seem longer than it is despite its brief runtime - with not a second of boredom to spare. A song reminiscent of Stereophonics’ soaring songwriting sensibilities mashed with a tinge of Strokes-like grit, Inside’s energetic disposition and unconventional song structure makes it a thoroughly enjoyable rock tune.
Their choice of having an interlude after the first verse instead of going to a pre-chorus and chorus struck a chord (hehe) with me. We don't hear the interlude again until after the chorus, which only actually happens once in this song. The interlude plays twice and segues into a very tasteful guitar solo. I also have a soft spot for ad-libs (like the "woo!" in the solo’s fourth bar), which instantly gives the track a gritty live-feel, while being well-recorded.
The outro of the song takes the chorus' tagline (“This time I’m leaving!”), and puts it through a tasteful redub of the chorus’ chord progression. It’s a common technique, but in this case it’s very well done, as Hijack Hayley manage to avoid being cheesy with their progressions, dodging a common mistake with ascending phrases. I applaud the band here, as they don’t hit too many chords in every bar, which gives the song just enough room for its final phrases to resolve so, so much sweeter after its searing guitar solo.
However, the chorus’ melody does get a little repetitive and dry by the end of the song – lacking in dynamics. I would have loved it if they had doubled the vocal melodies and harmonies on the chorus. That would have made it much more impactful, seeing as the outro’s tagline is from said chorus as well.
Hijack Hayley’s sophomore single is a solid take on a tried and tested indie rock sound, more so than their previous effort Burning Bridges - which suffered from being a little meandering at times. In due time, I look forward to standing at the back of a venue bobbing my head at a live show with these guys on the lineup.
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