THE HAPPY HOLLOWS

Amethyst

thehappyhollows.blogspot.com

In just one album, this female-fronted L.A. trio has done what it took similarly staffed East Coast superstars the Yeah Yeah Yeahs three records to pull off. They’ve gone from making garage rock to synth-pop, and while their transition has been less spectacular—they were never as explosive as the YYYs, and they’re not as experimental now—the change has been for the best. On tunes like “Hawaii” and “Stop the World,” the Hollows tap into Southern California’s long-standing love of gothy pop, imagining the Bangles or Go-Go’s on a Siouxsie and the Banshees tear. On “Galaxies,” frontwoman Sarah Negahdari sings of comets and planets, bringing some cosmic West Coast daffiness to the party.