Elemeno P's Dave Gibson, his equally musical younger brother Dan (who led Kingston), and wife Sarah, were jamming at a Coromandel bach in the summer of 2012 when they realised the good-time hoe-down they were creating, might actually have some promise as a new musical outfit.
And they were right. Inspired by the 70s folk revival, they decided to become a travelling family band, and headed to Brooklyn, where they figured out their sound, and knitted together a seven-piece band including horns and percussion. Now they've released a "double EP" (essentially a single album) of spirited, jangly, psych pop folk. Dave's voice, so recognisable from classic Elemeno P tracks, is often to the fore, and sounds as perfectly suited to twangy, raw, harmony-laden storytelling of alt-folk as it did to pop-punk.
In fact you can't help but hear hints of the Elemeno P pop hooks of old on tracks like early single Girlfriend, and Hey Rose, but that's no bad thing. Along with the lovely unvarnished, layered production sound, those driving, attitude-laden hooks are what stop Streets of Laredo from veering into syrupy, cutesy territory. reThere's a touch of Edward Sharpe, or even Bob Dylan (Dave sounds eerily Dylan-esque on Need A Little Help), to be heard, as well as US chart climbers The Lumineers, though they're more guitar-driven (Laredo).
Let's hope they return to New Zealand for some live shows soon.
