Strawflower – Haunting Of The Hollywood Hills (2024)
The baby brother of Soundgarden and Weezer, Strawflower is an enthusiastic duo packing their laidback melodies with a powerful indie-rock punch. Formed in 2019, or at least streaming their releases since 2019, the talented pair draw on various genres like folk, country and indie to “conjure a Southern California dream world of lonely drifters, empty beaches and haunted hills”. From 2019’s ‘Angela’ to 2022’s ‘Crypto Vegan’ and 2023’s ‘Setting Sun’, the Los Angeles lads can soothe, calm, excite and entrance audiences with their music. This is our introduction to Strawflower, so join us as we jump into their recent single ‘Haunting Of The Hollywood Hills’.
Following the three-track EP Something In My Head, Strawflower saunter into 2024 with ‘Haunting Of The Hollywood Hills’. Interestingly, as with previous releases an indie-rock tone shivers across the melody; however, the new single embraces a harder rock-infused style. Many of Strawflower’s releases breathe life into vintage rock sounds, particularly the 90s indie-rock and pop-rock bands. ‘Haunting Of The Hollywood Hills’ reaches further back embracing a harder, heavier and more powerful 70s/80s rock. Tapping into their inner Creedance Clearwater Revival and Sonic Youth, a slip of iconic rock flutters through the new single’s chilled-out vibe.
Recorded in Michael Rault’s home studio in California, there is a balance between sophisticated elegance and raw innocence in ‘Haunting Of The Hollywood Hills’. The steady bounce beneath pounding drums, bold bass and dynamic guitars add a sense of stability to the single, but a swoop of kaleidoscopic sounds sets you off on a rippling sonic river. For me, listening to ‘Haunting Of The Hollywood Hills’ has a spine-chilling effect with the psychedelic undertones creeping up my back; however, this being said the vulnerable darkness of the track adds to the excitement of the melody.
In addition to the single, Strawflower released an official music video for ‘Haunting Of The Hollywood Hills’. You can view the video below or on their YouTube channel. Please note that this video uses lighting effects that can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
Find out more about Strawflower on their Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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