Waikiki
Currently performing under the name Howling Bells…
Currently performing under the name Howling Bells. See where it all began with Waikiki.
"Original band looking for drummer. Our influences are Mazzy Star, Radiohead and the Beatles." Sounded simple enough. But for Sydney band Waikiki - Juanita Stein (vocals, guitar), Joel Stein (guitar), Glenn Moule (drums) and Brendan Picchio (bass) -the 11 tracks that make up their debut longplayer I'm Already Home are a snapshot in time, space and melody that defy any easy categorisation. A collection of songs that'll ease you gently into a daydream - or throw you off your couch. Lilting lullabies that float like musical clouds, and pop rock radio hits you can't get out of your head. Diverse, multi-layered and revealing, listening to I'm Already Home is like the first taste of summer sun - warm, inviting, occasionally ready to burn.
Having burst onto the scene over two years ago with their debut EP Presents, Waikiki have gone on to take over the nation's airwaves with their infectious brand of inspired indie pop that's been embraced by virtually everyone from Triple J to The Secret Life Of Us. They've toured across the country, building themselves a live following worthy of envy in the process, all the while drawing musical inspiration from artists as disparate as Radiohead, Air, Mazzy Star, Beck and a slew of others. In April this year the energetic guitar strains of "New Technology" saw them team up with a New York legend (The Car's Rik Ocasek) to pump out a slice of perfect pop wizardry. It is, apparently, just what the teenage Juanita Stein had in mind way back in high school all those years ago - forget dreams of Hollywood: rock & roll was calling.
"I was obsessed with River Phoenix at the time," Juanita laughs, recalling the tragic tale about a rose and the ill-fated actor that was to be her first piece of songwriting. "I remember my friend who was sick called up and told the headmaster that one of our friends had died and that I had to go home! That was the first time I really started putting the way I was feeling into music."
Years later, and Juanita's heady harmonies and soulful lyrics (this time written about more than just acting heroes) would see the singer team up with her younger, guitar-noodling brother. Together the pair put out the call to locate the like-minded players they were searching for and asked their buddy to manage them. Not long after, Waikiki's self-record demo found its way into the right hands. In 2000 the fourpiece had a label to call home - and work to do.
$19.95