aaamusic | On 20, May 2011

“Any fan of the Beach Boys will fall immediately in love with HAL”- Obscure Sounds
Ultra-hooky, dramatic vocal harmony-drenched tunes. Echoes of the Beatles, Harry Nilsson, the Beach Boys, and Phil Spector are everywhere. Hal go beyond imitation and use their influences, as a good band should, as guides and not blueprints. -Tim Sendra-All Music Guide
Hal return with an uplifting harmony-filled single “Be With You”. This will be the first single from their forthcoming second album The Time The Hour, which is due for release this coming Autumn. The Time The Hour is the follow up to their 2005 eponymous debut.
“Be With You” and it’s B-side “Close To Her”are available to download now from iTunes and other online outlets. To mark the occasion the band played a sold out show in Whelans,Dublin on Friday 6th May.
Dublin 3-piece, Hal, formed in 2003 and were signed by Geoff Travis to Rough Trade Records in 2004. Their eponymous debut album was produced by Tears for Fears’ Ian Stanley, and released to critical acclaim in 2005, producing two UK and Irish top 40 chart hits.
The band toured worldwide during 2004/05, enjoying extensive television & radio promotion all over Europe, and performing headline and support shows with the likes of Doves,Grandaddy and Brendan Benson.
In 2007,singer David Allen quit the band and left Ireland. He returned in 2008, with a large collection of new songs, having spent nearly 2 years travelling Europe and the States with only his guitar for company, playing in various pubs and clubs, and indulging in a different pseudonym for each performance.
And so on Dave’s return, the band began sifting through material to begin work on Hal’s second record. The band spent 2010 recording and 2011 will see the band return to the live arena and long-awaited release of second album, The Time The Hour.