SWL # 18: Hibou, "Glow"

The career of Hibou, aka the solo project of former Craft Spells drummer Peter Michel, is limited but promising. So limited in fact that he only has 2 releases to his name at the moment: the Hibou EP, which was released this past November, and the Glow/Hollow singles, which he put out in February. However, his highly listenable concoction of “surf ethereal beats” is gaining the 19-year-old attention in local and national circles, especially as his sound continues to evolve. In contrast to the tropical vibes of his first EP, “Glow” is a more measured jam whose heavy post-punk/dark-wave influence and dreamy ambiance are reminiscent of contemporaries like Wild Nothing. To be clear though, Michel isn't simply mining the chill-wave sound for mass appeal or mimicking the successes of his former project; "Glow" not only provides powerful evidence of Michel's ability to arrange thoughtful electro-pop, but it also gives us here at NGD more than enough reason to keep our eyes peeled for his new EP, Dunes, which is supposed to be out in the next month or so on June 13th. Until then, you can see Hibou alongside Slam Dunk and Audrey Horne on the 5th of this month (May) at Heartland.