Hurd are a vinyl subscription service that was started in 2016 by partners Gabby Barrett and Jack Miles who were both working in different forms of media but they were determined to do what they love - get into music. So they quit their jobs and started renovating a caravan in which thy held sessions for musicians. They toured a few festivals with it including Lee Fest and it was clear their dream was beginning to materialise. But they wanted to spread the word about all of this new music they were enjoying but the rest of the country wasn't, so they connected their adoration of the vinyl format with their love for new music and Hurd, my favourite vinyl subscription was born.
Trudy & The Romance was their first ever edition, which Hurd were kind enough to send to me. Trudy have gone on to grow a cult following and have grown and grown since this record was released in November 2016. Despite Gabby and Jack clearly having a very keen eye for what bands should have their music pressed to vinyl they introduced a members vote a few months back. This gives each member the opportunity to choose one of the 5 bands selected by Hurd and the one with the most votes wins and gets their single pressed on a 7 inch. It's as simple as that.
Not to mention with every months single you get a copy of The Fold and a lyric sheet. The Fold is a monthly digest of music news and releases which points out everything you need to know in the music world. It also contains an interview with the artist on the overleaf much like my "Introducing..." series. The lyric sheet also contains an art card on one side and it's very clear that they're specifically designed with every months worth of content, there's just a ridiculous amount of effort that goes into every month. I can't even imagine how much work Gabby and Jack put in every month whilst also trying to maintain a successful business. It's crazy.
Here's a few of the releases that I've received so far:
Here's that Trudy & The Romance record that I mentioned earlier, the first ever Hurd release. It feels like a moment in history this does, a piece of Hurd before it was ever reimagined and the member vote came in. There's no doubt that Trudy would have won a members vote though, the insanely talented and ferociously unique band are tipped for big things and its easy to see why.
This Au/Ra single is one of the most impressive pieces of pop I've heard in years, her singing voice is so atmospheric but when mixed in with the hazy pop overtones it creates some of the more dramatic and enticing sounds ever pressed to vinyl. It's also pressed onto this luscious green vinyl which fits beautifully onto my Wombats turntable cover as seen in the picture to the right.
Gaffa Tape Sandy have already proved that they're moving onto big things as it was recently announced that they are releasing a flexi disc for Record Store Day this year. I'm planning on getting this 7" for RSD as it's one of the more cheaper releases on the day and GTS are a very exciting up and coming bands to be coming out of the scene right now.
This is one of the most exciting things to come out of Hurd. Odina is the most exciting talent to come out of the Hurd family. "Why'd You Make Me Cry" is an incredibly soothing and relaxing tune whilst also mixing in a set of serious emotions as the title suggests. I tweeted how much I loved this single and that I thought it was great and Hurd offered to send me one of the test pressings completely free. This is now one of my most treasured possessions - the only test pressing that I own and one that I will always love. I'm kind of scared to take it out of it's little packaging because it's worth so much to me. So thanks Hurd for being so great and find a few more releases below...
