Music that transports you far away to a weird and wonderful place is rare. The melodic road to somewhere beautiful and new is difficult to find these days, and it’s wonderfully refreshing when a band comes along, arms open wide, willing to take you on the journey with them. Hiva Oa’s double A-side single “Badger / Urban” does just that.
Although their debut album The Awkward Hello, Handshake, Kiss was released earlier this year, both double A-side tracks feel like they belong to the winter, and it seems apt they’re ending the year with this release. “Badger” melds almost trip-hop beats with ghostly vocals to create a sound that transcends folk and alternative indie. Here, Hiva Oa manage to create a thought provoking and intelligent genre all of their own.
With “Urban” the band return to a more traditional sound that feels more akin to bands like Mount Eerie; this is stripped-back, honest folk that’s simple and sublime. These two tracks display a dual personality to the three-piece that will hopefully shake some life into the straight-forward indie-folk scene that’s risen in the last few years. With newer material promised for 2013, Hiva Oa may well be one of next year’s most exciting prospects.
