Hello June - Hello June

Hello June

Hello June
self-released; 2013

3.9 out of 5

By Dan Alcantara

Indie-rock trio Hello June is the amalgam of time spent playing in separate bands but being in each other’s periphery.  They met while going to college, though they all played in different bands. The advantage of local music is that you get to know everyone. I'm definitely glad that this group decided to try and make music together. The band is made up of singer/guitarist Sarah Rudy, guitarist Whit Alexander, and bassist Mitch Boggess. Drums are courtesy of a guy named Travis Evans.

They made their initial debut with the single "Colors.” which is on this self-titled EP Hello June, back in April before releasing this three-song EP in June. Their sound is both familiar and new. You can hear occasional influences but can never be sure whom it is they are referencing. Part of that sound has to come from the fact that the members handled the entire recording process themselves. That has lead to a sound that is both very open, but intimate. You never hear anything that doesn't sound like it needs to be there, the songs are free from excess ornamentation. The decision to use analog gear and cheap microphones also gives the EP a lo-fi sound that doesn't sound pretentious, just very deliberately worked on.

Rudy's lush, fuzzed out guitars drive along the opening track, "I Wish I Could Fly" while Alexander's slide guitar adds a touch of the blues to what would have been a straightforward rock song. Very reminiscent of Silversun Pickups, Rudy's voice also sounds remarkably familiar, to the point that I spent a good several hours trying to place it in another band before giving up. It just has that quality. As soon as "Fight, Don't Fight" began, I heard Tom Petty in the drums and lead guitar while the vocals and melody remind me of The Postmarks but with a bit more fullness in the vocals. The song seems set in the midst of a dance scene with the protagonist struggling with conflicting emotions about the person she showed up with.

"Colors,” the single that I mentioned earlier, finds the guitar riff playing off the vocal melody, giving them an intertwined quality. This song works really well dynamically. It isn't just another slow-build song or three minutes of noise or even just a straight play through. Each section, from the verses to the chorus and breakdown, feels completely different but cohesive.

All I can say is that I cannot wait for the band to finish their full-length follow up to this incredible debut.

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