Harriet

American Appetite

BY Ian RodgersPublished Jan 29, 2016

7
Harriet, a four-piece from L.A., are competing in a busy field. American Appetite is a bouncy, sun-kissed collection that shows similarity to psych-leaning bands like Two Door Cinema Club and Tame Impala. The tracks move from strong hooks to dreamy, wandering verses led by the syrupy vocals of frontman Alex Casnoff.

"Up Against It" uses slide guitar and a lackadaisical tempo to mimic the monotony and disappointment of adulthood well as Casnoff refers to being "Back at my parent's house / Back on their bank account." This and other slower tracks do take up a good chunk of time in the middle of the album, which risks allowing the album to lose momentum, but "This Time I Was Right" brings it back up to speed, using growling vocals, strings and a screeching finish to end the reverie. The last few tracks keep the energy going, and "Momento Mori" is a fantastic, noisy and layered closer.

At their best, Harriet sound like a classic guitar band inspired by the recent success of synth-pop outfits like CHVRCHES, and American Appetite shows a lot of promise for their future. They're traveling through familiar indie territory, but they transcend it with clever melodies and a good amount of flair.
(Harvest)

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