When I first heard ‘Scattered Diamonds’ by Brisbane indie four piece Hungry Kids Of Hungary this morning I actually thought it was a Vampire Weekend track. I must admit to being a little hesitant to tell you that because public opinion on Vampire Weekend seems to be so divided that perhaps saying that will cause you to write these guys off, but I urge to at least have a listen before you form an opinion. And if the members of HKOH are reading this and are also displeased with this comparison, please be assured that I mean nothing negative by it. I guess all I really need to say is, if you like catchy beats, great melodies, percussion breakdowns and oodles of ‘oooh-ooh-oohs’ then you will like this track. Plain and simple.
(And I don’t know why some people seem to hate Vampire Weekend so much by the way. They’re not my favourite band in the world, but they do make fun music. And ‘Oxford Comma’ in particular is a fantastic track.)
Anyway, back to Hungry Kids Of Hungary. ‘Scattered Diamonds’ is the only track that calls to mind my earlier comparison, with ‘Set It Right’ also offering catchy melodies but with a more laidback feel. These guys draw their influnces from blues and soul and have a sweet retro 1960’s rock vibe going on. Their debut EP Hungry Kids Of Hungary is out now, with their followup EP Mega Mountain due for release on April 3, with gigs galore happening throughout March and April in most capital cities. While I’ve only heard a handful of tracks so far, I definitely reckon these guys are onto something good.
It All Started With Carbon Monoxide 
i just tried to send you those youth group songs but the email was “returned” unable to send.
i sent it to agnes83@live.com.au. that’s the right one, right? i’m confused!
I think my email hates me at the moment – been having a few issues with it lately. I sent you an email just then – let me know if you don’t receive it!
i sent them again, did it work? also, you inspired me to clean out my own in-box and in the process i deleted more than a thousand unread promo emails–a thousand!!
Phew! Yes they did work, thanks for taking the time Marcy. Wow, a thousand emails! Your inbox won’t know itself with all that room to flex and stretch!
Scattered Diamonds is a disgustingly blatant rip off of the Phoenix song ‘Consolation Prizes’. It is not just the beat but actually, Chord for Chord!
This does not mean I will write them off as a band, but I just find it so perplexing that such a track, with such a blatant rip off could be getting so much props. The band might deserve it, but this track does not!
Hi Jake – I haven’t heard the Phoenix track that you speak of, but I shall endeavour to track it down tonight and have a listen, am intrigued!
Hmmm – it is reminscent of Phoenix but isn’t chord for chord – it’s in a completely different key.
I have had a listen to the Phoenix song and I do think that there are similarities, but I do think that ‘blatant rip off’ may be going a little too far.
I like it. Sugar pop! People slag off VW because they’re past their cool sell by date. I’m with you, music should be fun sometimes.
Exactly. We all need a little pop in our lives from time to time don’t we?
I got excited when I first heard this track because I thought it was a new Vampire Weekend song. I haven’t heard the Phoenix song yet, but I’m with
CDV music should be fun.
Jake, I could not agree more. I was actually searching for Scattered Diamonds and couldn’t find it anywhere, so i decided to buy Phoenix’s old stuff off iTunes instead. When I listened to Consolation Prizes I thought I had found it, but it didnt have the ‘why did you get it all’ so i was perplexed, thought it was a different version. When i heard Scattered Diamonds again, I got it, and the start it a BLATANT RIP.