Toronto four-piece Goodbye Honolulu have announced their self-titled debut album will be released October 1 via Stray Dog Records. The announcement comes with the release of a brand new single ‘Over and Over’, a track with a strong 70s disco undercurrent weaving into the band’s garage rock sensibilities.
Vocalist, guitarist and organist Fox Martindale explains “Over and Over is about the daily repetitiveness of a monogamous relationship and the ever growing numbness to things that once made one jealous. I initially wrote this song as a disco track on an acoustic guitar. Once we brought it into the studio it flourished into this lush, sexy, yet mellencolic tune. Stepping out of our comfort zone with this very different vibe – we knew we had created something pretty special that day.”
The “Over and Over” video was directed by band member Emmett S. Webb’s father:
“I’ve been in the queue to do a Goodbye Honolulu music video for several years. When Emmett played me the track “Over and Over” I knew immediately this was the one. The sleazy 70s Disco vibe conjured up images of 1970s technicolor cinema. I envisioned a Taxi Driver feel; sharp color, steam, neon lights with dirty as shit streets. Times Square circa 1972 with Fox sleazily moving through these seedy streets as if he’s been up for days, sweaty, sexy and a little glam. We had to follow Covid restrictions, so in contrast to Taxi Driver’s overcrowded streets I played the streets eerily empty aside from Fox. We shot the video over 4 nights last summer on the empty streets of Toronto with the band, “Superfan” Greg, a kick ass skeleton crew and some favors from film friends and local bar owners. This video was a blast to shoot and I’m extremely proud of the end result.” – Steve Webb (Emmett S Webb’s dad)
Goodbye Honolulu are an extremely multi-faceted outfit and the diversity of sound on their debut album comes from a truly collaborative writing process. Goodbye Honolulu don’t have one frontman, Goodbye Honolulu have four individual songwriters and three frontmen who each bring a different quality and sound to the band. Combining their passion for 60’s garage rock, 80’s new wave, punk & electronic music, Goodbye Honolulu have created a collection of songs that never stick to one sound.
Goodbye Honolulu blurs the lines between power-pop, country, hip hop, lo-fi and more. Working with seasoned producers Ben Cook (Fucked Up, No Warning, Young Guv) and Tony Price (US Girls, Slim Twig, Ice Cream, Michael Rault), the album leads the band down an entirely new path creatively and sonically.
During the recording process the band dealt with many weird happenings, which is no surprise as the record was recorded in an abandoned movie theater turned recording studio in the east end of Toronto, where the band lived and recorded for 11 days. A visit by the spirit of a woman and a dog during one of their overnight stays inspired both the album’s choice of cover art as well as many songs and lyrics on the record.
Goodbye Honolulu met in high school (well actually Max and Emmett met on Halloween in 2nd Grade when they both turned up at school dressed as James Bond). During their teens they played in each other’s musical projects and even started their own label (that boasted a roster of 14 Toronto bands in its heyday). These formative years saw the Goodbye Honolulu members busy playing in bars, curating their own concerts and festivals, honing their live skills and self-releasing multiple releases a year on Bandcamp.
The band cut their teeth playing rowdy and sweaty rooms across Canada and the USA, touring with bands such as Hinds, Kate Nash, The Beaches, Luna Li and more.
GOODBYE HONOLULU ARE:
Emmett S Webb – Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Jacob Switzer – Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Fox Martindale – Vocals, Guitar, Organ
Max Bornstein – Vocals, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion
