Hooray for Earth is downright giddy with a new sound on the Momo EP

Singer Noel Heroux notes that's what happens when you get by with a little help from your friends

By Emily Becker
Published: August 3rd, 2010 | 12:00am

Noel Heroux may not have intended for “Surrounded by Your Friends,” the catchiest track on Hooray For Earth’s new six song EP, to be autobiographical. It took years for Heroux, the band’s singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter, to surround himself with the group of friends who helped bring Momo (Dovecote) to fruition—but it was worth the wait.

Hooray for Earth’s roots reach all the way back to Heroux’s adolescence. He met bassist Chris Principe while both attended high school in the semi-rural, and presumably sleepy, town of Grafton, Massachusetts. Principe remembers meeting Heroux during a moment of divine school scheduling. “We had chorus class together. [Noel] made funny faces and I thought he was cool. And, he could also play guitar really, really well.” Principe and Heroux have played music together in one form or another ever since.

The duo formed Hooray For Earth in Boston in 2005. They released a self-titled full-length album in 2006 and the EP Cellphone in 2008, before going on hiatus after Heroux decided to relocate to NYC’s West Village. Ultimately the move led to a change in Hooray for Earth’s sound. “We might as well have changed our band name,” quips Heroux, whose more morose style of songwriting took a sunny turn after he made the move to be closer to his then girlfriend (now fiancée).

And a happier Heroux led to Momo. This summer's newly released EP is upbeat and airy without ever being saccharine. As Heroux describes it, “All the ‘not happy’ parts of it, it’s all there, it’s just not in your face.” Truth be told, Heroux’s decision to stop being negative allowed his songwriting to become more balanced.

Maybe that new attitude made Heroux a little giddy too, because he keeps adding band members. Momo’s co-producer Josh Ascalon recently signed on as HFE’s part-time live percussionist. Heroux and Ascalon recorded much of the percussion for Momo, and according to Heroux, it dawned on Ascalon that he had an on-stage role to play too. He remembers Ascalon offering enthusiastically, “Oh, I could do this. I’ve got some Roto Toms, some sticks and a tambourine.” Though it sounds spontaneous, the logic was sound, and Ascalon offers a key contribution to the band’s live sound.

Heroux even found guest roles on Momo for his fiancée Jessica Zambri and her sister Cristi Jo, both of whom founded the NYC-based band Zambri. Principe explains that the sisters sing on Momo’s track “Rolling/Nectarine.” “When we’re in New York, they join us on stage,” adds Ascalon. And when Zambri can’t join them? Principe adds shyly, “I try to sing like a woman.”

Principe has had plenty of chances to improvise the girls’ parts recently, as Hooray for Earth hit the road with Surfer Blood and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, which gave them a chance to reach their largest audiences yet. “We’re only playing one song that isn’t on Momo,” says Principe. “We’re trying to showcase the EP and are very excited to be a part of this tour."

What’s next for Hooray for Earth? Heroux says the band hopes to record a follow-up full-length this summer, but in typical HFE style, don’t expect Momo redux. Heroux explains, “I’ve always done a lot of sampling, piecing things together, and editing. We didn’t do much of that on the EP. I think the full-length is going to end up being very sample-oriented, with more homemade sounds.”

The band’s spirits are high, and for good reason. Heroux and his band have done their best work while surrounded by their friends.

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Hooray For Earth's official site

Hooray For Earth's MySpace page

Dovecote Records