- Surprise from Hungary -
Sometimes you receive an album from a band you have never heard of. When the album comes from the label Periferic Records and the band is also from Hungary .. than I know I could be in for a surprise. Hungary is a country with a big musical culture. It’s like everybody grew up with playing an instrument. There are so much talented young musicians in this country. When some of those talented musicians come together to form a progressive band, you get something like Inkább Holnap (Tomorrow Instead). They play music I would like to describe as a mix of Jazz Fusion and Progressive Rock.
The album consist out of nine compositions, and is almost complete instrumental. Only the short track “A lány csak áll” (She’s just standing there) (1:21) has some atmospheric/gothic like vocals. “Szervusz drágám” (Hi honey) has a reggae rhythm and a bluesy guitar solo which are packed into a symphonic/jazz fusion piece. This description which is typical for an Inkább Holnap composition sounds difficult but the truth is that all the compositions sounds fresh and light as if it costs the musicians no effort at all to play them. This says more about the skills of the talented musicians than about the music. “Ősazhang nélkül” (Without harmony) (6:14) has a jazzy swing and includes delicious symphonic synth solos. “1000 Lei” (7:57) opens with symphonic keyboards which reminds me of Jadis. But later more jazzy influences creep in with a fat bass solo and guitar solo. Everything sounds crystal clear and I love the symphonic and jazzy keyboard work of Sári Imre on this album. “Tatabánya” (Old man’s mine) (5:26) starts like a light Rippingtons song. But Inkább Holnap’s music has more depth and variation. There are some beautiful melodies in this track. And the band seamless switches back and forth between different musical styles. In “030” (6:01) and “Hinta Palinta” (See saw) (5:07) we also can enjoy jazzy guitar work and keyboard solos. But the most adventurous piece is the long last track of the album called “Eperdinnye” (Strawberry melon) (12:43). Here the band shows us again that they can easily switch between jazzy and symphonic rhythms and melodies. A beautiful melody with orchestral keyboards is followed by a melodic guitar solo and later on those keys appear again to close the track. This is the most beautiful melody of the album and my personal highlight.
Inkább Holnap (Tomorrow Instead) is a very talented band from Hungary. The album sounds fresh and the musicians seems to have fun in playing this music. For me a delicious album. I’m curious how this band will develop. They have the potential to make some great albums. And this debut album is a great start!

Douwe Fledderus