The Delays: 'Hooray'

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and rock 'n' roll are two subjects you wouldn't normally associate with each other. Dirty tour buses, ramshackle live shows and muddy festivals would be enough to prompt most sufferers to give up on their musical career. However, rather than letting his OCD tendencies destroy his dream, Greg Gilbert of The Delays decided to write a song about them. Perhaps even more shockingly, the result isn't a Radiohead-esque slice of gloom-mongering; it's a shimmering, psychedelic pop gem.

Built around a truck-load of twinkling strings and the band's usual mixture of lush guitar swirls, this track couldn't be any more radio-friendly without offering Jo Whiley a back massage and free tub of ice cream. Gilbert's searing falsetto chimes perfectly with the upbeat, celebratory melody, while the occasional notes of lyrical bleakness ("I put a tag on everything, it lets me know just where I've been") ensure the track's sweetness doesn't turn sour with repeated listens. Fabulous stuff that bodes well for the new album Everything's The Rush.


> Click here for our recent interview with The Delays