An enamoring, hook-filled rock sound shines on White Magic, the debut album from Los Angeles-based act HOLLYWAND. Guitar-driven energy pairs with poetic storytelling, capturing emotions ranging from romantic yearning to personal catharsis. Recorded over a decade, the project explores love, illusion, and desire through an approachably nostalgic indie-rock lens.
A stellar array of colorful organs drive into rousing guitar work as the album gets underway with its memorable title track. A sense of searching is conveyed, lyrically, while soaring vocals escalate into a fervent “you should be more optimistic about our magic…” declaration. An encouraging plea to be “more optimistic” continues alongside the spirited, punchy guitars, reminding fondly of Super Furry Animals in its mixture of stylishness and charismatic approachability. Up next, “Monkey Mind” features a pulsing, tighter guitar presence and bouncy bass line, delighting too in its central hook, here title-touting in its amiable refrain.
Another standout, “Slave of Desires” is palpable in its heartfelt yearning, beckoning “I want you” in its vocal inducement. Whoo-ing backing vocal harmonies help comprise excellent verses, while the urgent “I want you” admission invigorates within the bursting guitar work, reminding fondly of early ’00s indie-rock as twangy complements hit past the two-minute mark. Album finale “Love Could Save Us All” feels like a thematic continuation, embracing love as a point of salvation as the production shifts between piano-set contemplations and anthemic power. HOLLYWAND’s White Magic stirs throughout its eight tracks with a knack for vibrant, hooky rock emotion.
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