Hooray for Earth

Hooray for Earth, a New York indie rock quartet, took official shape toward the close of 2005 after a protracted formation period that began when vocalist Noel Heroux and bassist Chris Principe first crossed paths and collaborated on assorted projects while still in high school. During their Boston residency, Heroux focused on home recordings of his material, several of which later became early Hooray for Earth songs. Drummer Seth Kasper and keyboardist/guitarist Gary Benacquista completed the lineup, after which the group assembled a self-titled demo and performed locally before shifting operations to New York City in summer 2007. The demo’s distinctive mix of high-power rock and synthesizer textures attracted Dopamine Records, which signed the band and issued the Cellphone EP in early 2008; the label followed by releasing the original demo as a formal album in 2009. Kasper exited that same year and was succeeded by drummer Joseph Ciampini. A second EP, Momo, appeared first via eMusic Selects subscription service before receiving a physical release on Dovecote Records in 2010. Those recordings set the stage for True Loves, the band’s debut proper full-length, which Heroux largely wrote, produced, and performed with contributions from Zambri and mixing engineer Chris Coady. The album emerged in June 2011, and the group returned three years later with its sophomore effort, Racy, issued in summer 2014. A few months afterward the quartet disbanded, marking the end with a farewell concert at Brooklyn’s Glasslands Gallery that November.