Were Grizzly Bear to don summer wear and instead create lo-fi acoustic beach pop, they might sound like London’s Family. Not much can be found on this group of four. They have a blog (linked to above) but other than a brief description noting that they hail from London and met in France, they have no formal, readily available bio. And with a name as commonplace as Family, I am not even going to attempt to find a MySpace page. What I have to go off, instead is their three-song, self-titled single, available to share on BandCamp but not download.
Family opens with “Mother Benita”. Immediately recognizable, the band possesses that familiar mellow tone, relaxed and dreamy with a hint of acoustic pop. This continues through “Eileen” and “A Ho A Hand”. The former finds the band adding the occasional falsetto vocals, while the latter emphasizes a jangly tambourine.
At the base level, I have to say I’m a bit surprised. Surprised at how good this is just as much as I’m surprised at how little I truly know about this band. Their music is fascinating and despite the previous reference to a fairly well known band, it is their own. Family’s music is true to summer heat waves, lazy sweltering Sunday afternoons spent with good friends, relaxed tunes, caked-on sunscreen, lawn chairs in the shady confines of an empty garage, and a cooler full of beers.
1. Mother Benita
2. Eileen
3. A Ho A Hand
