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Daria & the Hip Drops released their new album, Hipnotic, on Saturday, September 12. Upbeat with strong vocals, the group pulls influences from indie pop, rock, Caribbean, and electronic genres to end up with a truly unique and modern New Orleans sound. Astute listeners may hear whispers of artists like Santigold or the Talking Heads. Their name comes from a song and dance, "Hip Drop," by the Explosions, a New Orleans funk band from the 1960s.
The Caribbean-influences are immediately apparent on the album's opening, "Battleship," and the closing track, "Quantimplative." The latter is a particularly delightful and surprising mishmash of Caribbean-style, hiphop, and shoegaze. Throughout the album, Daria's vocals shine with her energetic, beat-influenced voice. She comes with sounds reminiscent of Gwen Stefani, Lily Allen, and a more sophisticated Cyndi Lauper, particularly on "Hole in Heart." The steel drum percussion resonates on many of the tracks. The keys rock on "Tip Toe" and "So Hard." The group also pays homage to their hometown's brass traditions, pulling in the horns on "Felicity." The record comes across as thoughtfully ordered, with peaceful, lilting respites coming halfway through and near the end with "Lovely Interlude" and "Interlude for Felicity."
The band has a few upcoming local performances: October 2 at Spanish Moon in Baton Rouge, October 31 at Voodoo Fest, and November 5 at Maison.
Hipnotic is available on CD at the Louisiana Music Factory and MP3 from iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby.
