Rating: NNNN
Local psychedelic quartet the Hoa Hoa's have spent the last five years earning a solid reputation for their dreamy blend of psych and shoegaze that's interesting and authentic. On this follow-up to 2007's Sonic Bloom, the band push their pop sensibilities to the foreground while preserving their penchant for hypnotic rhythms and washed-out noise.
[rssbreak]
Opener Postcards conveys a gloomy foreboding that leads smoothly into the unsettling, single-worthy Grew Up On The Seeds. From the John Lydonesque Intensity to the tender come-down of Wasting Time, the Hoa Hoa's excel at creepy, melodic, reverb- and delay-heavy guitar interplay. Songs like Flowers Are Free would fit perfectly onto a mix with the Psychic Ills and Serena Maneesh.
Top track: Flowers Are Free
The Hoa Hoa's release their new CD at the Silver Dollar Friday (December 4).