Italian indie duo Go Hawaii are poised for a breakout year with the release of their highly anticipated Mangy EP. Hailing from the outskirts of Venice, the new EP highlights the duos ability to blend post-punk, dream pop, and bedroom pop into a unique, dreamy yet vibrant sonic palette.
The EP opens with the dreamy, nostalgia-laden ‘Santa Barbara’ sets the tone with its lush meld of synths, tights drums and jangling guitars under the distant understated vocals, evoking the likes of Slowdive and even Joy Devision. Tracks like ‘Auburn’ and ‘Tangled To The Sun’, create sun-soaked dream-pop meets shoe-gaze and beach-indie, capturing a bittersweet euphoria tinged with an undercurrent of melancholy.
Closing out the EP, Go Hawaii offer their own take on The Smiths’ cult classic ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’, delivering a reverb-drenched rendition that preserves the original’s emotion while infusing it with their signature sound through layered guitar riffs and electronic undertones.
In a statement about the Mangy EP, the duo reflected on the journey that led to its creation:
“This EP comes after a long process that started right after we released our first LP. The writing took much longer than we expected because life happened—there were changes in our personal and private lives that took us away from focusing on music the way we wanted to. It was a period where we weren’t feeling great mentally, and we needed time to figure things out in different areas of our lives. You can feel that in the songs, I think. But despite all that, we managed to make real progress in our sound and the way we write.
This EP feels like a bridge from our first album, which was the first time we put together a complete effort as a band. With this record, though, you’ll hear hints of what’s coming next. A song like Santa Barbara really shows that growth—we put our best effort into it. From the synths to the drums and guitars, everything was written in a more intentional and professional way, at least that’s what we aimed for. We’re really happy with how it turned out, and it marks an exciting new chapter for us.”
Listen below:
