We’re only 33 days into 2016, but we’ve already been graced with some awesome albums. This includes American Appetite, the debut album from Los Angeles band Harriet, a release four years in the making.
You see, I first posted about Harriet late in 2011, after becoming fascinate with their debut single “I Slept With All Your Mothers.” It was included on their debut EP, and had me readily waiting to see what they had up their sleeves for their debut.
Only, aside from founder Alex Casnoff (who formerly played piano with Dawes and Papa) and drummer Henry Kwapis, the lineup kept changing and time went on and the wait for the album continued. This wasn’t a bad thing, as Casnoff and the rest of the group smartly took their time with the release, carefully putting together all the right ingredients and pieces, releasing songs and videos one by one, and signing to the small but impressive roster of Harvest Records. Ultimately this helped them to prepare for the release of American Appetite, doing it their own way.
I got to watch the band grow in real time, so it’s almost hard for me to believe that their album is actually here. But it is indeed a real thing, and as great of a first document of the band as I could’ve hoped. At their core, Harriet is built around the songwriting prowess of Casnoff. But they’re far from folk or an americana rock band, even if those elements are found throughout the 12 songs that make up American Appetite. As the years passed, they evolved as a band, showing an ability to take these songs and add a shiny pop or even dance guise, as evident on “Ten Steps” the unshakeable second track on the album.
All in all, the debut offering from Harriet feels far too polished and readymade to be a debut. They group have managed to do the unthinkable and deliver a first time release that seems like it has come from seasoned veterans. It may have been a long time coming, but American Appetite was well worth the wait, and is proof that Harriet are very much a band to watch in the future. Big things are on the way.
Today they released a brand new video for ““Inheritance,” which serves as a short heist-film with some messages about the music industry that are pretty clear. Check it out via Billboard.
American Appetite is available to purchase right here.
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