Crafted in the harsh southwestern sun, indie-pop journeymen the Good Goodbyes manufacture bright, poppy sounds that betray their desert origins. The Good Goodbyes are something of an indie-rock super group, comprised of two members of the Shins (keyboardist Marty Crandall and bassist Neal Langford), the Busy Signals (which is actually just one guy, Howard Hamilton III), and drummer Ryan Holmes. The band’s debut self-titled EP is a fresh take on early ’90s sensitive dude rock like Sebadoh and Matthew Sweet. Soft melodic guitars a la Lou Barlow are given a sharp electronic twist (courtesy of Howard Hamilton), lending this EP a layered quality reminiscent of the Walkmen and the Postal Service.
On the third track off the EP, “A Million Bees,” the GG’s claim, “This is not a joke,” but then go on to sing about eating cold fries, dropping dope rhymes, and dragonflies. The silliness of the lyrics makes the EP a refreshing springtime tonic to what could otherwise be a somewhat bittersweet album. The Good Goodbyes EP was released on April 5th. The members of the band live in several different states, so there is no tour planned for the immediate future.
