aaamusic | On 29, Apr 2012

Hiva Oa is a three piece alternative band based in Edinburgh. Formed in 2010, they consist of Stephen (guitar/vocals), Christian (cello) and Marco (bass).
Their debut EP entitled ‘Future Nostalgia for sale’ is now available through mini50 records.
Hiva Oa produce music with a fragile sense of melancholy, buried under a brooding darkness. Guitars, bass, cello, the odd piano and haunting vocals combine to create something unique and intensely evocative. Blending acoustic sounds with more experimental moments the band has created an EP and album that are distinct and immediately compelling. The beauty of Hiva Oa lies in the understated.
‘Future Nostalgia for sale’ is a precursor for the forthcoming debut album ‘The Awkward Hello, Handshake, Kiss.’, which is pencilled in for release in May 2012.

‘Male and female vocals dovetail to a basic backing of guitar, bass and cello. From this starting pad, a more sensurround experience of glockenspiel and martial drums are thrown into a scratchily looped mix that swirls and sways its way into being…. Hiva Oa stick to the shadows, erupting into a rolling thunder before coming to a hush once more.’ – The List
‘It’s been a while since I heard a band for the first time and felt immediately obliged to write about them…This track certainly suggests a ton of potential, as it billows back and forth a brewing storm of droning hums and weathered strings amidst delicate vocals, which builds to a cathartic noisy cadence.’ – Sonic Reverie
‘Falling somewhere across dream pop, drone and shoegaze, new single Badger perfectly exemplifies what they’re all about.’ – The Tidal Wave of Indifference
‘To hear of them is to experience an adventurous, skewed take on poetic art rock with the resulting languorous melancholy inducing a near hypnotic state.’ – Bluesbunny Music Reviews