I first listened to Hunter about a month ago. The tune was goofy and fun, but it didn’t immediately grab me. I thought that was it for Hunter and me, but I was wrong. The siren song got me.
Lead singer Hunter Stamas Facebook-messaged the Advocate with her band’s new video for their tune “Smooth Seas Never Made for a Skilled Sailor,” and I gave it a go. A basic acoustic guitar riff gives way to the ol’ 1-2-3-4, and we’re off, following the rollicking beat of this ragtime, hipster band with an Americana twist. Honky-tonk sounding keyboards jangle a bouncy melody providing an undertow for Stamas’ lyrics to drag the listener, willingly, into Hunter’s world. Stamas has a powerful, enchanting voice. It beckons, but there’s a dark flintiness in her tone that gives her sound an edge — and elevates the song to the level of, you’ve-got-to-check-this-out. Plus, there’s the clever lyrics:
“When you’re sailing ’round the world/ I won’t mind being that girl/ With each wave you hit know that I’m the mermaid that made it/ Swimming right beside through the ropes and the riptide/ Barring anchors away I’ll see you when you’re home, babe.”
Band members describe the Nashua, New Hampshire-based group as “alternative folk rock” and the quartet is made up of Stamas, Cameron Gilhooly, Connor Coburn, and Zack Warneka.
After hearing “Smooth Seas,” the siren song led me to give the band’s other tracks a listen. Sampling more Hunter, I didn’t find another piece I liked as much as “Smooth Seas,” but the group is definitely putting out some catchy music.
The band gets funky on “Before You Go, Stay,” producing a song with a lot of personality supplied by the guitars. But “Che Sera, Sera” and “Vagabond” sounded similar; built on familiar low-mood melodies. Everything comes together, though, on the track “Something Real.” It’s more radio-friendly than the band’s other music, sounding a bit more finished and refined with vocals and band complementing each other instead of Stamas’ stellar pipes stealing the show.
Tie me to the mast for another round of Hunter.
