The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALAINA STACEY – DUSK
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUN FREEZING COLD – NOWHERE TO HIDE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY – ADDICTED TO THE VIOLENCE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LORD HURON – THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUSH – I BEAT LONELINESS
SPILL NEWS: GEORGIA HARMER SHARES NEW SINGLE “FARMHOUSE” FROM UPCOMING LP ‘EYE OF THE STORM’ | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: KENNY NEAL BRINGS HIS SIGNATURE SWAMP GRIT ON “DEVIL’S IN THE DELTA” WITH HIS SON MICAH WILLIS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: THE LAST DINNER PARTY RELEASE “THIS IS THE KILLER SPEAKING” FROM THEIR FORTHCOMING ALBUM ‘FROM THE PYRE’ OUT OCTOBER 17
SPILL NEWS: JUSTICE AND KAYTRANADA ANNOUNCE FALL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: ESA – “GOLDEN HOUSE” (FEAT. MASSENHYSTERIE & KONSTANTINA BUHALIS)
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE POSTMODERN JUKEBOX ON JULY 23 AT MASSEY HALL!
SPILL NEWS: DAVID BYRNE UNVEILS NEW SINGLE “SHE EXPLAINS THINGS TO ME” | NEW ALBUM ‘WHO IS THE SKY?’ OUT SEPTEMBER 5 | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: YAWN SHARES NEW LYRIC VIDEO FOR “YOU & I” | DEBUT LP ‘WISH I COULD’VE’ OUT NOW
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: JAMIE LIDELL – “CAPTURE THE MOON”
SPILL NEWS: WORLD-RENOWNED POLKA PUNKS THE DREADNOUGHTS UNLEASH SEA SHANTY SINGLE “SIERRA” | UPCOMING FULL-LENGTH ‘POLKA PIT’ DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 19 ON PUNKERTON RECORDS
SPILL NEWS: WAVELENGTH MUSIC TURNS 25 | ANNOUNCES 2025 ‘SUMMER THING’ FESTIVAL LINEUPS AT ONTARIO PLACE AND NEW VENUE IN SCARBOROUGH
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
233
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NIRVANA - NIRVANA
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE WEEKND - BEAUTY BEHIND THE MADNESS

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HOOTON TENNIS CLUB – HIGHEST POINT IN CLIFF TOWN

Hooton Tennis Club
Highest Point In Cliff Town
Heavenly Recordings
RATING

Does Hooton Tennis Club serve an ‘ace’?

This fast-tracking, four-piece, poppy garage band from Chester, England are the toast of the town this past year, having gone from university studies to being signed by Heavenly Recordings in less than six months. If their band name (from a road sign for some tennis courts in Little Sutton) doesn’t tickle your fancy, then it’ll be their youthful energy that will make you want to listen to this 12-track album’s chops. Initially through this release, if you think their guitar playing or vocals aren’t polished, then you’d be right, and that’s the point, as the band believes in the unpolished rawness of doing things in their own way without a perfectly engineered sound. They don’t want to be perfect, as no one should expect a freshman album to be. But that doesn’t mean their lo- fi sound falls short. Their music is earmarked by frontman Ryan Murphy’s slow woodburning (at times), hypnotic vocals (with a few “whooos” along the way), as he adds a calming element to the songs. Guitarist James Madden’s lo-fi ascending/descending hazy, fuzzy sound mingles nicely with Harry Chalmer’s steady drumming. Callum McFadden’s adept bass playing rounds out the quartet’s infectious, upbeat, musical charm.

With pop-like toe tapping, carefree anthem songs like “Kathleen Sat On The Arm of her Favourite Chair,” “Something Much Quicker Than Anyone But Jennifer Could Ever Imagine,” and “Jasper,” Hooton Tennis Club litters their album with some carefully crafted casual tunes that show a straightforward melodic sensibility that is deserving of praise.

Coming from a wide variety of music genres that have historically entrenched Liverpool’s music scene, Hooton Tennis Club didn’t take a lot of risks instrumentally and vocally on this release, but having been inspired by Guided by Voices, the final product is definitely a game, set and match in the win column. Whether they have the consistency to evolve their casual pop sound into something more will be fun to watch in the upcoming years. Until then, enjoy this solid effort as it sits comfortably in your playlist.

– Chris X (aka: the “Dis·si·dent Mankey”)

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HOOTON TENNIS CLUB – HIGHEST POINT IN CLIFF TOWN

Author

Chris X

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
—
6.0
Total Spill Rating
—
Total Fan Rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewshighest point in cliff townhooton tennis club
album reviews, highest point in cliff town, hooton tennis club
About the Author
Chris X
Insert pretentious stuff about me here. I was born at a very young age. I am pretty, funny... without the comma. Easily distracte
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewshooton tennis club
 
8.0
Alaina Stacey

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALAINA STACEY – DUSK

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on July 18, 2025
ALAINA STACEY DUSK INDEPENDENT Is it pop or is it Americana? Kacey Musgraves and a few other artists resolved that dilemma a while ago, by proving that it could be either or both and that makes no difference, as long as the songwriting and [...]
 
8.0
Sun Freezing Cold

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUN FREEZING COLD – NOWHERE TO HIDE

by Aaron Badgley on July 18, 2025
SUN FREEZING COLD NOWHERE TO HIDE INDEPENDENT Sun Freezing Cold is a duo out of Montreal consisting of Chantal Ranger (lyrics/vocals) and Guy Pellerin (music/production) and Nowhere To Hide is their third album. Since their last album (2024’s At [...]
 
8.0
Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY – ADDICTED TO THE VIOLENCE

by Joseph Mastel on July 18, 2025
DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY ADDICTED TO THE VIOLENCE SCARRED FOR LIFE Daron Malakian is one of the most recognizable names in hard rock and metal, most known for his work in the iconic band System Of A Down, which has given us some of [...]
 
9.0
Lord Huron

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LORD HURON – THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1

by Robert Defina on July 18, 2025
LORD HURON THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1 MERCURY RECORDS Ben Schneider often croons about being alone under vast night skies on The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. Though these themes are undeniably similar to those explored throughout Lord Huron’s [...]
 
7.0
Bush
8.6

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUSH – I BEAT LONELINESS

by Joseph Mastel on July 18, 2025
BUSH I BEAT LONELINESS earMUSIC Nineties rock icons Bush return with I Beat Loneliness, their 10th studio album. The new record is one of Bush’s most vulnerable to date and combines Bush’s post-grunge roots with electronic, hard rock, and [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALAINA STACEY – DUSK
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUN FREEZING COLD – NOWHERE TO HIDE
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY – AD...
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LORD HURON – THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1
9.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUSH – I BEAT LONELINESS
7.0
8.6

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Newsletter
  • Premieres
  • SPILL RETRO REVIEWS
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2024 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN ONE OF TWO PAIRS OF TICKETS TO SEE OMD PERFORM LIVE AT HISTORY IN TORONTO ON JULY 4!
949
 
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: MAX RAEL – THE ENEMY IS US
874
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DUSTY SPRINGFIELD – LONGING
599
 
SPILL CONTEST: ENTER TO WIN A GWAR PRIZE PACK INCLUDING TICKETS TO SEE THEM LIVE AT HISTORY ON JUNE 9!
508
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PETER MURPHY – SILVER SHADE
448
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A MEET-AND-GREET PACKAGE TO SEE ALESSIA CARA AT ROY THOMSON HALL ON MAY 15!
423
 
SPILL FEATURE: IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE’RE A LITTLE MORE IN CHARGE – A CONVERSATION WITH CRISPIAN MILLS OF KULA SHAKER
412
 
SPILL NEWS: THE BESNARD LAKES SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ON OCTOBER 10
352
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS
333
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE SWELL SEASON – FORWARD
327
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HOWARD JONES – PIANO COMPOSED IVORY & PIANO COMPOSED SPIRIO
304
 
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: VAGUE NOTION – “BASE SICK”
268
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FISHBONE – STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
261
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES