Overview Musically, the sound of
Tired of Hanging Around has been described as
Northern soul, Pete Cashmore of
NME said the songs could be divided into two sets: feeling threatened' and 'being threatening'. The former camp houses the melodically gorgeous," such as "Tired of Hanging Around" and "Someone Watching Over Me". The second group, meanwhile, featured "Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done!)" and "You've Got a Friend in Me".
Tired of Hanging Around featured less guitarwork and more saxophone, courtesy of member Abi Harding.
The Phoenix writer Brian E. King said McCabe's voice fluctuated between that of
U2 frontman Bono and
Soundgarden singer
Chris Cornell, He mentioned that several of them were influenced by promoting
Who Killed...... The Zutons? on tour; "Valerie" and "Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done!)" in particular were inspired by the band meeting people when they supported
Keane and
Muse.
Tracks The album's opening track, "Tired of Hanging Around", was written by McCabe while on a plane in the US, tackling the theme of transportation: "waiting for someone to pick you up and they don’t turn up on time [...] and people that are "being ignorant when they do turn up, [coming] with attitudes and bringing it with them".
PopMatters contributor Michael Keefe wrote that it is a story of "anxiety in a fast-paced world [that] pivots around an actual bus", reminiscent of
the Teardrop Explodes. McCabe explained that it was described being at a bus stop waiting for someone that's "ignoring you – and getting annoyed about not being taken seriously". "It's the Little Things We Do" discusses dealing with a
hangover, drawing comparison to the work of
the Bees. The intro section to "Valerie" was borrowed from "
Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (1985) by
Tears for Fears. "Someone Watching Over Me" has a
gospel-
country atmosphere that evoked the work of
the Rolling Stones. "Secrets" is akin to the sound of
the Shangri-Las. "Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?" merges
glam rock with
pop-punk, earning a comparison to "
Tiger Feet" (1974) by
Mud.
musicOMH contributor John Murphy wrote that it initially seemed to be a "conventional lover's plea. On closer inspection though, it's got
black humour stamped right through it, with McCabe telling tales of locking his intended in a cellar and feeding her rodent hair". "Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done!)" describes a daughter using her dead father's money for alcohol, and was compared to "
Too Much Too Young" (1980) by
the Specials. "You've Got a Friend in Me" is a duet between McCabe and Harding, detailing the perspective of a stalker following a victim, echoing "
You Keep It All In" (1989) by the Beautiful South. The album's closing track, "I Know I'll Never Leave", is a homage to the band's hometown of Liverpool; Nick Hasted of
Uncut said the song was about a "private
dystopia in which the singer’s trapped inside a ghetto flat with floors that slash his skin". The song overall was
Led Zeppelin-esque, while one of its verse sections recalled "
Ain't No Sunshine" (1971) by
Bill Withers. ==Release==