The Album

Hello and welcome to another Wrock Wreview! Today’s album, by Kathryn Hoss, is on Spotify and not Bandcamp, so if you click any of these links and it looks different, that’s why! It’s called Hufflepuffs Make Better Lovers. Also, fun fact, as of tomorrow, the Wrock Wreview will be one whole year old! And the first ever album that was Wreviewed was also by Kathryn Hoss! Look at us coming full circle.

Anyway, let’s jump right in and see exactly why Hufflepuffs make better lovers.

The Tracks

Helga is a slow song that sounds very Celtic. It’s about the founder of the Hufflepuff House, and describes her ideals and acceptance of any and all students who wish to learn. With accordion, tambourine, and background harmonies, this is a seriously cool way to start off the album.

The next song is a lot more lighthearted than the first one. Hufflepuffs Make Better Lovers is the title of the song as well as the overall album. Kathryn makes great use of one of my favorite wizard rock tropes, which is going through each of the Houses and reminiscing about dating someone from each of them, with the positives and negatives of each.

Hermione Granger’s Not a Transphobe is an incredible song about… well, the title pretty much sums it up. This song is definitely one of my favorites. From Hermione and McGonagall to Snape and Tonks, you’ll find that there are many magical folk who are trans. This song is also an open letter to JK Rowling, with the main takeaway being:

So we’re taking it back
Hogwarts is ours now

Sexy Hufflepuff Party (explicit) is an incredibly catchy dance song about all of Hogwarts coming together for a super fun badger party. Will you catch Harry and Cedric making out in this song? I’m not saying either way, but suffice it to say that you’ll just have to listen to it yourself if you want to find out.

The next song has a very important PSA: Don’t Do Drugs (Interlude). With a sweet ukulele, the singer reminds us that these songs were written at a younger age and therefore implied that doing drugs was cool. It’s very cute and funny.

Let’s Sneak Into the Slytherin Common Room (explicit) for the next song. It has a cool beat and rap-like quality, and the lyrics and whistling were super fun.

We find out exactly what The Price of Love is with a melancholy melody and instrumental backup. I adore the vocals in this piece and how the chords always go to minor at the end of a line. This is a perfect song for anyone who is missing someone they love.

The last song on this album is called You’re a Gryffindor. It’s a sweet love song to a Gryffindor who has so many good and brave qualities. I admired the vocal jumps between the singer’s head voice and chest voice; they are executed very well and make the song that much sweeter.

In Summary

The range of themes, genres, instruments, and sounds throughout this album astonish me. I was so impressed with every song and how it had its own individuality while also contributing to the greater whole of the album. I loved listening to these songs and I hope you do too! All in all, I give this album a rating of 100 points to Hufflepuff!