Harlem is set to release their second full length album entitled Hippies on April 6th. If you haven’t heard of them yet, they hail from Austin Taxes and are apart of the lo-fi revival. That seems to be the way things are going this year in terms of indie pop rock. The Fieros, another impressive lo-fi band are set to release their full length album sometime this year as well and made an impressive show in their self-titled EP early in the year. And with the return of lo-fi on the horizon we might as well get it out of the way and just say it sounds really good. But there are pros and cons to taking hold of this 50s-60s-centirc sound and running with it, as a modern day roots rock band. Take Japandroid for instance, a garage band more of the punk side of things if comparing them to Harlem, but who also love the lo-fi rattle and hum sound. They had a great album last year with Post-Nothing but not everyone loved it for the same reasons and some people didn’t like it at all. So, here are the pros and cons of Harlem’s new one Hippies when put into the lo-fi bubble and looked at with a bit of objectivity. Why you might like this band: If you like the lo-fi styling’s reminiscent of early The Beatles or The Ramones vinyl then this is right up your ally. The charm factor, Harlem has a warm, familiar feel to it, making it very pleasant to listen to. The energy captured in Hippies is undeniable, its auditory fun on a bun.
Why you might not like this band: The variety of this album is non existent, Harlem has a style and they stick with it throughout Hippies with little deviation. If you are not fond of reboot bands in general and are more of a progressive music listener this album could be a very small blip on your musical radar.
Note: With all biases or objectiveness aside we love Hippies here at Indie Blog Shot… the social group and this album.
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