Adios Amigo, a band spearheaded by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Johnny Major and fellow musicians based in San Francisco, have prepared a delectable EP of indie rock and mildly psychedelic tones and served it to us on a platter. It’s their second album release to date, following their first self-titled EP released in August of 2011. The five-song sophomore album, appropriately titled Dos, touches on familiar themes of love, life, and remembrance, yet does so with the intermingling of various styles and vocal stretches.
A remarkable quality of this group is their ability to channel different kinds of music yet achieve the same result; some of their tracks are similar to the poppy British alternative band Bombay Bicycle Club, yet others are purely Californian, sounding like Gomez or Dirty Gold. Either way, the ears are placated with a jangle of instruments that invoke a beachy bliss.
The album as a whole is easy on the ears, starting off with “Colony’s Dead,” a warm, reflective track ending with a beautiful deterioration of instruments until a sole guitar leads you through what feels like a dream sequence, leaving one at bliss.
The most poppy song of the five is up next, “Chicken.” It begins with the thrumming of strings in an upbeat, dance worthy indie shuffle. The hushed tones of vocalist chime in, slightly muted but present nonetheless. You’ll find yourself mindlessly bobbing your head to this track, reminiscing of summer days. It screams California.
“Never Forget” is a soothingly tropical song with hints of electronic chimes accenting the lyrics. “Take me to Heaven” is a sentimental daydream of the afterlife, promising seasons of sunny days. “Pretty Pretty Princess” is a nostalgic ballad of “star crossed lovers” as the chorus of four shows off the range of their voices, trailing off in high notes that tingle the ears.
The release of this album is perfectly timed, as it demands a summer atmosphere and a drive to the beach, surfboards in tow. Carefree, mellow, and genuine, Adios Amigo has created an original sound in Dos that somehow, quite puzzlingly, draws on rockers such as The Shins and injects an eclectic, electronic spin, surpassing masses of cookie cutter pop-rock songs.
