Habibi “Dreamachine” 2024. Kill Rock Stars Records, limited edition “breezy blue” vinyl. We picked up Habibi’s third LP last weekend from the band after their performance at our neighborhood’s Beet Street festival (hosted by Cactus Club). Habibi is an all-women band with a psychedelic synth sound, super-fun and very danceable. They put on a fantastic show and clearly loved Beet Street’s vibe: alt-kids, aging hipsters, families and dogs on a gorgeous Midwest evening (two of the band members are originally from Michigan and they chatted about how much they loved the non-attitude attitudes of Midwesterners; Habibi are based out of Brooklyn).

Dreamachine, according to Allmusic, “completes their journey from girl group- and surf music-influenced indie pop band to something more nuanced and varied as it adds dance-rock rhythms, loads of synths, and a sense of drama to their still-heavily melodic approach.” I’ll take their word for that as I honestly never listened to Habibi before seeing them at the show, though their aesthetic is clearly up my alley so I was happy to check them out and to add this album to our collection. It mixes dream pop (“My Moon” in particular), 80’s dance synth, lo-fi garage and a more polished riot-grrrl vibe (think Sleater Kinney but a bit more gentle – see the track “Do You Want Me Now” in particular). My top track is “POV,” which is a great ass-shaker. I also really like “Interlude” and “Losing Control” – both songs blend singer Rahill Jamalifard’s Middle Eastern roots and melodies with a trancey psych grooves. The album’s closer, “Alone Tonight” feels snakey and slinky; it mixes funk, 80’s pop (I’m hearing a mix of Michael Jackson, Phil Collins and weirder stuff like Talking Heads) and jazz elements (there’s a horn interlude!) making it super-unique.