If I told you that Why Bonnie were from England, and they had ridden a time machine here from 1991, you might believe me. The American band conjure up new iterations of dream-pop that are simply gorgeous and the closest thing we're likely to get to those early Slowdive singles again. The rich and evocative stuff on the group's new EP, Voice Box, out on Friday via Fat Possum, is centered around Blair Howerton's voice and is there any doubt why?
"Bury Me" and "Voice Box" are shimmering delights, the ethereal bits here are draped around fairly strong melodic hooks. I think that's what makes Why Bonnie more than a bunch of revivalists. On these numbers, and "Athlete", for example, one hears really great indie-pop that shares stylistic similarities with past pioneers. However, to their credit, Why Bonnie never seem to get too lost in the trappings of the form here.
The musicians here -- Blair Howerton (vocals, guitar), Kendall Powell (keyboards), Sam Houdek (guitar), Chance Williams (bass), and Mitchell Lamon (drums) -- are fairly smart for a young band, and one so beholden (it seems) to earlier genre classics. But saying that is not to deny just how listenable this whole EP is. Nothing on Voice Box feels overdone, or over thought-out. The tunes are organic and lush (for the most part), with the hooks here shining through the instrumentation which threatens at times to pull a listener out to sea on a wave of bliss.
Voice Box is out on Friday via Fat Possum.
More details on Why Bonnie via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Pooneh Ghana]