Fox Hunting - Hurting

Fox Hunting are a Stockholm based duo who first met in 1998. Their boast is that they don't do rock, nor techno or electronica, they produce proper electronic pop. This is the bands first single from the recently released album 'Masquerade'. The maxi-single contains "Hurting (Radio Edit)" and six remixes of that track.

"Hurting" is a pleasure! From the start it's a nice synthpop or electropop song, whichever you want to call it. It's catchy in a Pet Shop Boys kind of way, who are one of their listed influences, with a beautiful melody. Peter Påhlman's vocals are particularly nice, and better I think than most of his famous influences. A long abandoned sound unfortunately it could be said, but it has had a revival in recent years and I hope with this duo and others the revival continues and grows. Watch them and they even look and act like the stereotype synthpop duo, and the synths and drum programming are spot on.

The first remix is the techno "Hurting (Shrugging Atlas Remix)". It has a great beat and a marvelous dance rhythm, with some Kraftwerk or Moroder sounds and vocoder use included for good measure. The "Hurting (Ankefabrikanten Remix)", sees a return to the electropop style. Not the best for me as it seems to drown out and distort those great vocals in places.

Hurting (Johnny Doe Remix) is a good piece of work, an excellent effort at making such a good original track different without ruining it, which is so easily done. By slowing things down, making subtle vocal changes, using drums, adding synth lines and echoes they have moved it someway from it's pure synthpop original to a more new-romantic state. The way they have done this really brings the lyrics home.

"Hurting (John Feldhoffer Remix)" has an even more techno sound than we have encountered before, with the vocals brought to prominence. Another really good remix, uses a heavy drum beat, also the synths bring that great melody to the fore and between them turn it into a good dance track.

The "Hurting (Emmon Remix)", quietly does it, then Emma brings it to life and it immediately dances and so will you, with a techno rave jungle sound. Different again, and another excellent piece of electropop. There's even a kind of "Hiroshima Mon Amour" thing going on in it. In our last track "Hurting (Vulnerable Mix)" we meet a more complex sound which causes the vocals to have an echoing quality. We even have Moroder sounding organs without sounding out of place. Once again the vocals are made prominent and made so clear. This is a beautiful but melancholy piece of work.

Conclusion
It's hard to make much comment on one original track so I look forward to hearing the album 'Masquerade', but if this track is anything to go by it will be one not to miss. "Hurting" is an excellent piece of electropop. So if you like electropop make sure you don't miss it. The single also contains some really well crafted and well chosen remixes from an excellent song. We have so many different sounds on a single making it particularly outstanding, even dance tracks. From start to finish we get hints of Pet Shop Boys, Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, and John Foxx/Ultravox. Also outstanding are the vocal effects and the way the vocals have been used. The production is also quality.

If you like it make sure you have a watch of the "Hurting" video on Youtube or Vimeo. Jun 25 2012