With a hipsteresque album-cover and synthesizer-filled melodies, the Holiday Friends recently released their debut album.

The Moscow-based indie band titled their 10-track album “Chicks,” and released it during a concert with “Blind Pilot” on March 10 at the Bell Tower. The album features some of the best tracks I have ever heard come out of this region.

Throughout my time at WSU, I have heard many bands attempt to create the same musical style, yet the Holiday Friends are one of few who can do it right. “Chicks” is hands down the best album I have heard in the Moscow-Pullman area.

The broadness of the album is what makes it great. Their style ranges with songs sounding like Animal Collective, Vampire Weekend and Arcade Fire. The best part — Holiday Friends is good at all of it. The variety of song styles throughout the album shows the band is influenced by many different genres.

“Astral Observations” was the first single released and is the most powerful song on the album. The electrical instrument combination creates a mood that perfectly fits the title.

“Trippin’” is also one of my favorite tracks. The track includes an audio sample from a viral news interview with a surfer at Huntington Beach — this is just one example that shows how much fun this band is having. With song titles like "We's All Bats" and "LolJk" you may think this band is a joke at first guess, but after a full listen you will know that they are passionate about their music. 

The only non-experimental sounding track on the album is “Plastic Planets,” which has indie-folk sounding vocals. This song is still just as great as the other tracks heard on the album.

The mastering of the album also stands out. Each track sounds so clean and, at first listen, you would not think it was a local band. The transitioning of the songs could not have been any better. Every song loops into the next with the intro of the next track ending the song preceding it.

For a debut album, “Chicks” definitely exceeds expectations. It is noticeable they put the time in to create a masterpiece that shows off how musically experienced they are. The talents of this group are outstanding for a local band and they deserve recognition. I hope they stick around so I can hear more from them in the future.

“Chicks” is available to download for $10 at holidayfriends.bandcamp.com.

Grade: A