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Rating: ...and finally, after years of silence, the new album by Girls in Hawaii is out.
An album with soft and delicate pastel shades, just like its predecessor, by Girls in Hawaii: an eclectic Belgian group of 4 friendly and simple guys, whom I met by chance in 2004 when they were supporting Sophia; I still remember my amazement that evening at the beauty of the concert and the youth of the band members - in my opinion, some were not even of age yet - for their freshness and because the blond singer, who occasionally rubbed his eyes as if he were sleepy, played and sang all the time with his jeans zipper down. Very funny! This little detail made them even more likable to me, and after the concert, I bought their first album. Since that concert, there has been a long silence (I think their first work in Belgium was released in 2002 or 2003), but with what I believe was an endless tour.
Sorry, a long preamble to say that today, thankfully, they haven't changed. Plan Your Escape brings the sound coordinates back to the same territories; the album has the tones of a spring that is about to arrive, with delicate pop-rock songs that smell of flowering meadows, lazy melodies serve as a sound backdrop to a singing (original and recognizable among thousands) that appears almost voiceless and never intrusive, I would say whispered, as in "Shades of Time". Little droplets of golden rain open the delightful "Fields of Gold", while the plucked guitar string introducing "Couples on TV" transforms at the end of the song into a sad little march for tin toys (!). The first bass chords of "Road to Luna" bring back memories of the best Cure, and to conclude "Plan Your Escape", a ballad with somewhat dark hues, opens with the tolling of a bell and wood breaking to end with echoes of a xylophone. To blend it all together: small sounds, noises, hints of real life with barking dogs and rain, and various samples make each song a little pop gem halfway between Belle & Sebastian and the High Llamas, with a splash of indie style like Grandaddy.
Oh, I almost forgot: live, they are much more energetic and noisy, with tracks "stretched" to infinity and squeaky guitars overloaded with effects as if they were the Jesus... In concert in Italy in March. A must-see!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Bored (04:53)
Suddenly, you spread from my hands
Far away, you've drummed in my mind
That's the only thing we can decide
Rest is down, somewhere the sirens are
We arrived in the room of nowhere
Smells of gasoline, taste of chemistry...
07 Couples on TV (02:05)
Now that the homework is done
Now that the kids are asleep
Now that they're tired of the love we are giving
Now that the TV is ON
Telling me life's going on
Why do I feel like we're not really living? (x4)
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