The Halo Friendlies
Acid Wash
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Since HM has gone on record to use the word "chick" in this issue's Hard Music Sampler CD, then I guess it's okay to call this "Chick Rock." While the last Halo Friendlies album was fun to listen to, it did not have near the maturity and sonic care that this 5-song EP does. The songs are solid, a little more serious, played better, and the production is top notch. Nice move by the band to fly past the "novelty stage" in the perceptions of the music buying public. Another change is the lyrical direction, which goes beyond the silly "Flake-O in my scalp-o" tag to a slightly more eternal focus. "I don't want to see you that way again / Is there a fire in your soul?" ("Falling Away"). The title track seems to parallel the earlier warnings to other girls (a "watch out for these kinds of boys" vibe), but is less silly. I'm reminded of the time that I saw a girl named Jana Payne skate vert in the pool at the infamous Concrete Wave skatepark in Anaheim many years ago it's so fun to watch girls tear it up and compete on a level playing field with their male counterparts. The Halo Friendlies are now doing that.