Pat & The Hats latest release Fake It ‘Till You Make A Hit is a sweet confection of pop rock ditties. Band leader Patrick Gochez s crafts and sings some of the best local music in this genre. With a slight Beatles influence, Gochez composes engaging melodies and warm vocal harmonies. One listen to this CD will inform any music fan that this is a band on the rise.
“Love And Abandon” is their likely radio hit. It breezes in with a sweet guitar melody and saxophone shadowing. Gochez finesses this tune with his smooth, plaintive timbre, making each vocal note count, crooning over some of the coolest pop and R&B players ever. The chorus is hooky, irresistible, and full of feeling.
Pat & The Hats have the good sense to open their CD with the beat driven “Daddy’s Song,“ grabbing the listener’s attention right out of the gate. They then follow up with an infectious beat, rangy pop rock crooning, and easeful lead guitar phrases and keyboard melodies that tickle the ear. A somewhat unusual theme runs through the lyrics, keeping its interesting, which is a huge achievement in a world of same old same old.
A gentle hush permeates “The #1 Love,” a pleasant, mild flow of energy that reminds of many 1960s pop ditties. Pat & The Hats do not copycat the era in a half hearted way but rather channel the feelings those songs conjured up without trying to sound like anybody in particular. Guest Vocalist Brittany Gochez makes a lovely appearance here and a few other songs and now stands firmly planted as a regular band member.
Everyone in Pat & The Hats gets a chance to shine on this CD. “Baby Brooklyn” finds bass guitar player Brenden Harisiades nudging the song along with a polite push in his low end line. Guitarist Scott Solsky presses out a tender sweet melody that cannot be ignored while vocalist Gochez employs a nimble vocal approach, working his voice with subtle nuances as well as more forceful assertions.
“Woah Mama” is a mild breeze of riffs and beats, and that approach works. With a beat and an easeful melody line inspired by reggae and ska, Gochez comes up with another catchy ditty. His chorus is particularly strong and the shifting instrumentation beneath his voice tugs the ear with intriguing, engaging intervals.
Another interesting tune on this album is “The Life & Times Of Ordinary People.” It intrigues with a guitar line and piano support that sounds borrowed from an earlier time in American music. Meanwhile, Gochez croons as assertively as he can on this mid-tempo rocker. Drummer Bobby Rice keeps kicking it forward with a muscular beat and hearty stick work. This number, too, could be a hit. It reaches the listener on the lyrical level while the music impresses with its freshness.
Title track “Fake It ‘Till You Make A Hit,” too, pleases the ear with its sweet confection of joyful, chirpy vocals, nimbly picked guitar, and thumpy rhythm section. Gochez sings in his bright, clear timbre about writing a song at the suggestion of a cop who stopped him. Fresh, interesting, and engaging, Pat & The Hats, have, by this point in the album, convinced the listener that they are more than just another local pop rock band. There is real talent spread around in this wholly original song composition.
“So Sensational” boasts a keyboard tweaked rhythmic underpinning that draws the listener in like a rat to cheese. Dreamy, atmospheric cooing, sly lead vocals, and a considerately played guitar phrase come together to manufacture another worthy piece of ear candy. Next, “Wake Up & Fly” slaps its way into the listener’s consciousness with flinty, catchy guitar riffs. Gochez is at his chirpy timbre best, singing over the peaks and valleys with a persistent charm.
Pat & The Hats deserve credit for doing a 180 on “The Great Paper Caper,” a roots infused number featuring Jordan Tyrell-Wysocki on fiddle. Brenden Harisiades gives it a likable pluck with his bulbous upright bass line as Gochez narrates the tale with a sing-speak approach. The band also, somehow, manage to keep this ditty inside their own special pop feeling framework. It’s a fun, toe-tapping number and a wise change of pace from the rest of their album.
“She’s A Gemini(I’m Not Well)” is a fun, briskly paced pop ditty. A nimble rhythm section, racing guitar work, and a sprightly keyboard line make this one work very well. Listeners are sure to enjoy following this one through its twists and turns.
“Vegetables” comes in slow and strong, with a tone that suggests late 1960s and early 1970s hard rock. Gochez sings in a crisp badass manner, sounding a bit like The Beatles “She’s So Heavy.” Scott Solsky serves up a simmering guitar line over a muscular rhythm section to arrive at the meanest timbre on this album. The show also shows another side of Pat & The Hats, reflecting how they have the freedom to change flavors while still remaining true to their core sound.
Pat & The Hats close out with the gospel pop ballad of “Time Spent Waiting,” a slow drive with lovely piano and an emotive chorus packed with singers, mellotron, and organ. It’s a perfect track to close out, a swaying motion piece that feels like it’s saying farewell for now.
Pat & The Hats are going places. We already know they took Pop Act Of The Year award at the last New England Music Awards ceremony and that Greg Hawkes from The Cars plays keyboards on this CD. We already know that award winning producer Brian Coombes turned the knobs to get a high polished shine out of this band in his Rocking Horse Studios in Pittsfield, New Hampshire. We know that engineers Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice handled the mastering at Peerless Mastering in Boston. The only thing left to do is listen to this CD to discover why Pat & The Hats are on the rise.
