Goodbye Honolulu - “Shine"

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Hippo Campus, Velvet Underground, The Districts

Immediate and catchy, Goodbye Honolulu sound accessible and fresh on their self-titled 2021 full-length, sunny indie rock loaded with progressively propulsive hooks. Consistently full and lightly distorted, 90s alt rock hitmakers are recalled in Goodbye Honolulu’s music, song-craft focused and brimming with personality. A band that wears their influences on their sleeves, 60s pop, 70s psych rock, and 00s NYC grime find their way into the Canadian band’s memorable, rambunctious sound and help to form such a well-rounded debut LP. (Kevin McStravick) 

2020 Review: Canadian indie rock band Goodbye Honolulu released a lone single in 2019 to follow-up their excellent EPs No Honey and More Honey and “U Got It” is a logical progression of their signature blend of breezy pop and grimy alternative rock sounds. A little more driving than most of their cool-pocket catalog, “U Got It” is a tight two-and-a-half minutes of punk-infused riffs and vocals. Their 2020 is loaded with tour dates, so don’t be surprised if new music is on the way soon from this exciting unit.

2019 Review: Goodbye Honolulu have an indie rock sound that flirts with catchy power pop, a hungry energy captured across 2018 sophomore EP More Honey. It’s clear that even though they have a knack for rock hooks, Goodbye Honolulu don’t take themselves too seriously. Opening track “Lorry Can’t Love” is a boiling punk driver decorated with ‘hoo-hah’ grunts that are pleasingly out of place, followed by the funky, confident swing of “Barbados Slim”. There’s a thinking-man’s side to this music, but at its root Goodbye Honolulu is just killer rock and roll.