AWmusic

Hollands are a little-known duo out of New York City. Jannina Barefield plays the violin while John-Paul Norpoth does literally everything else. Their debut EP, Faces, is all over the place, and that’s a big reason why it’s so charming. Drawing parallels to other bands is difficult because of the musical diversity, but at different times during the album I hear similarities to Kings of Leon, The National, Wilco, and Frightened Rabbit. Sweet Jesus, what’s not to like?

The 5-track EP kicks off with one its faster songs, ‘Strong Arm’. The simple driving drumbeat and decent guitar riff are nice, but the funky, syncopated bass line carries the song from good to great. There’s nothing extraordinary or unusual about the track, but it’s a pleasantly straightforward rock song.

Norpoth and Barefield change gears on ‘Anomie’, leaning away from rock more into a folk sound. This is the first time we hear traces of Wilco and The National, and it works out for them. It’s not an very interesting track, but it’s perfect to fall asleep to. Or, for that matter, to wake up to. At just under 5 minutes, it drags a bit, but it makes outstanding, laid-back background music while you’re doing something else.

Track 3, ‘Over And Out’, is right back to rock, this time tossing in some southern influence. Once again, this song is easy to listen to and easy to fall in love with. It doesn’t attempt to be anything more than itself; I don’t even know what he’s singing about, but I know that I love it every time I hear the chorus of “Hell no! Hell no! Hell no!” I love the entire EP, but ‘Over And Out’ is probably my favorite track off Faces.

‘Coughing Boy’ slips in between the two extremes of rock and folk. With a soft but well-paced drumline, Norpoth creates yet another laid-back jam. ‘High Class’ is a subduesd shoegazing track that is a lot like ‘Anomie’: Not the most interesting, but pleasant enough to put on as background music.

I’m running out of different ways to say this, so the bottom line is: Hollands is great. Faces is great. I hope this band gets signed and gets heard. They deserve it and their music deserves it.

Check out more about them at their myspace.

If you follow the link above, you’ll see that none of their songs have over 1,000 plays. If at all possible, shell out the 5 bucks and buy the EP. It’s more than worth it, and you’ll be supporting a band that deserves to make it big.
Hollands – Over And Out
Hollands – Coughing Boy

Tags: EP