A New Hairdo by The Tailors is the third release on the indie label Trash Aesthetics. The previous two singles on the label were by Bloc Party and The Rakes, which tells you something about the quality control at the label. A New Hairdo is reminiscent of The Rockingbirds, in the very obvious country influence. Let's be clear, though: we're not talking Shania Twain commercial country-pap, but a more relaxed, slacker kind of country music. The Tailors ought to do better than The Rockingbirds ever did, if only because indie audiences seem to be more open to folky/country influences nowadays. On the evidence of this single, they ought to find some level of reasonable success, with even Radio 2 beckoning.
We've tried to find an original way of describing A New Hairdo but annoyingly for us, the press release actually puts it perfectly: [A New Hairdo] has the romance and nostalgia of a truck ride on a desert highway with the windows down and the radio cranked right up. With gruff vocals that sound like they were recorded the morning after an all-night session and a pedal steel guitar providing the requisite melancholy that marks out all great country pop, this is soul-soothing music to remind you that sometimes it's worth taking life at a slower pace to appreciate the finer things in life.
If you hate country music, this single won't convert you; it's straightforward country pop, albeit well-crafted. If you're a little more open-minded about country influences, then it's worth giving this a go. And if you're not sure whether you'd like it or not, The Tailors helpfully provide a few MP3 downloads from their website.
If you're going to buy this limited-release single, note that, in common with the previous Trash Aesthetics releases, the sleeve will be screen-printed and a few will have hand-made pop-ups inside. There are only 500 copies available from independent record shops around London and online at Norman Records and Rough Trade, so don't hang around as the record was released yesterday.
