Halo Halo Halo Halo

Here’s an LP from Halo Halo on that bastion of indie rock that doesn’t suck, Upset The Rhythm. This band have got Rachel from Trash Kit in and they play a primitive and melodic version of indie pop with skeletal, repetitive structures and clear, bold boy/girl vocal interplay. Apparently the music is inspired by Rachel’s Filipino ancestry and the music and language of the Phillipines, about which I must admit to being woefully uneducated. The spidery repeated melodies and sparse arrangements lend the music an Eastern and sometimes Afrobeat-ish feel but mixed with clattering indie rock arrangements and Can-ish fervour it becomes something else entirely, often verging on a kind of Angels of Light-ish pop ritualism.

‘Want 2 B’ is a highlight, sounding like Tuneyards but stripped of the hyperactive nonsense which can clutter her tracks, instead opting for a squelchy take on Tom Tom Club-meets-Bow Wow Wow post-punk - clever and simple. Another one I’m liking is ‘Sunshine Kim’, which has a celebratory Afrobeat feel mixed with a punky naivete that’s very affecting. It does get a little bit samey by the end but their concept and aesthetic is nonetheless an appealing one, it could just do with a few more memorable tunes. Solid stuff nonetheless.