Chris DeLine

Gentle, dreamy pop-rock is something I don’t usually kick back and relax to. Belgium-based Girls From Hawaii are some such band, yet they aren’t a typical abstract, hazy band as the band is both part Belle and Sebastian and part rockers. I say this because when I first heard the band, the song was “Flavor.” I was completely blown away by the distortion that blurred the song, allowing it to bloom into what ultimately becomes an explosive track. I later found the band to follow a far calmer, laid back pace, which allowed it to sink in and make the power at certain points that much more visible.

When I was growing up, my mother left me with a thought that still settles in when listening to non-English speaking bands; I’d like to call it the ABBA effect. It always boggles my mind when a band can write songs that aren’t in their foreign language, yet, spill so beautifully from behind the speakers. This ranges from the utmost simple “I’m not worthy” pop song “Short Song for a Short Mind” to the delicate, abstract “Bees & Butterflies (Down).” When you have a band that can go from the soft, to the hard, and still manage to hit on early ‘90s alt-rock, I think you’ve got yourself a winner, and Girls In Hawaii seem to deliver all of the above.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]