ANT - A LONG WAY TO BLOW A KISS

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MAGAZINE / INTERNET REVIEWS

A LONG WAY TO BLOW A KISS
SLANT MAGAZINE
Far from his day job as Hefner's (the indie outfit) drummer, Ant Harding has a sideline in acoustic meanderings about love and love lost.
Beautifully uncompromising and simplistic, he sings lyrics like "any girl can make me smile, but you're the only one who can make me cry" with blatant nods towards, yes you've guessed it, Nick Drake, Tim Buckley and Jackson C Frank.
It's never going to be a huge commercial success - his voice is a tad too sweet and the album is a proud testament to DIY, being recorded on a digital 8-track in Ant's home with him playing most of the instruments. Still, for those of us who enjoy such under-produced simplicity, it is a real joy.
Nicola Slade

A LONG WAY TO BLOW A KISS
MOJO
The arthouse synth-plinkery of Hefner's "new direction" on last years Dead Media LP was quite a horror to behold. Thankfully, it was more than compensated for by the unexpected joy of drummer Ant Harding's solo mini album Cures For Broken Hearts. This was the scrappy, sweet side of Hefner, with Ant as the kid who wrote secret love songs in his bedroom and blushed at girls in bus queues. Similarly, the best moments here are scruffy, gorgeous notes-to-self like Every Drop Of Rain, where Ants soft voice wavers over battered acoustic guitar strum and zither. But stretched over 11 songs, the novelty of the girlfriend/crapness-of-Ant theme gets a bit much: "My lucky eyes, lucky lips, and my lucky fingertips/Hate the waiting that they do." Oh dear, he's been rejected by another girl. Boo hoo. Back to the bedroom it is then.
Sophie Harris

A LONG WAY TO BLOW A KISS
CITY LIGHTS
A blinding, lovingly-crafted debut album from a singer-songwriter in a sombre Badly Drawn Boy/Nick Drake mould, who is surely destined to escape from his other current role as drummer with indie no-hopers, Hefner. Lovelorn songs layered with gorgeous acoustic strums, understated percussion and occasional Dylan-esque rasps of harmonica, supplemented by natural, uncluttered production - showcase a stunning, raw talent. Ant - full name Anthony Harding - is someone we will be hearing lenty more about..
Rod Shipley

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