A neat little indie rock ensemble led by songwriter JOHN-PAUL NORPOTH, HOLLANDS draws from familiar sources while easily sidestepping efforts to get stuffed in a box. In the five songs on Faces, elegant string arrangements share space with neo-new wave disco basslines; introspective songcraft cuddles with brittle postpunk guitars. Psychedelic vibes undulate throughout, and melody lords it over everything. There are enough signifiers to remind you of a million other bands, but they fit together loosely enough to make direct comparison impossible. Which means that Norpoth is either too eclectic for his own good, or, as I suspect, in possession of both a distinctive vision and a cool record collection. One to watch, folks.
