Jangly surf-rock
Harlem’s jangly arty surfer-rock n roll is less abrasive than bands like Wavves and more melodic; tunes like ‘Friendly Ghost’ have great bass lines, fuzzy, quirky riffs from the guitar and catchy vocals, the tracks all sound old rather than retro though, like you’ve discovered a dusty gem in the back room of a second hand record shop, because the production is suitably rough and raw.
Strangely, despite the fact that there’s not a huge amount of variety and there are a whopping 16 tracks on the album, (granted most are under three minutes though) the simple charm of great melodies, hand claps (etc), group vocals and raw fuzz means this album never grows boring or outstays its welcome. Each tune is danceable (albeit in a stuttering, jagged way), frenetic and induces plenty of head bobbing even from the comfort of your sofa, it’s easy to imagine they would be a great live experience.
“Hippies” is an energetic and fun record to listen to, with scuzz-soaked and bouncy tunes all the way. It’s a heady and infectious mix balanced by those solid melodies and great vocals (in a classically scratchy way). Check out ‘Pissed’, ‘Spray Paint’ and opener ‘Someday Soon’ for some tasters of Harlem’s sound although pretty much any track off the album would do as the quality is just as good throughout.