Music
Press
There's a reason why Amelia Fletcher called her flaship twee-pop band Heavenly. Its music could whisk away the cynical and melt the hardest of hearts. This Brooklyn trio chews that same pop bubblegum on its debut. Marisa and Kelly(whose last names are apparently too grown-up for liner notes) swap sugary vocals like class-Mates of State, vying for-what else?-the Boy. - Magnet Magazine
The Besties - "Bone Valley Deposit" 7" (Hugpatch)
Another terrific 7" release on the Hugpatch label, and further proof that the Besties are only improving with age! These two songs find the band sounding more "mature" - I've always hated that word in the context of music, but really, there's no other way to describe the direction of their sound (ie. moving further and further away from their earlier twee sound)... The title track is a rousing rocker from Rikky (and usually one of the highlights of their live sets), while on the flip is a softer keyboard-led number from Kelly. And it's on thick white vinyl, to boot! - Indiepages.com
Besties
“Rod ‘n’ Reel” b/w “Working Title” 7”
(Hugpatch)
Here we have two girls and a guy strumming away in a pink indie-pop style, but the results aren’t necessarily twee, but rather a velvet hammer. The romance of their brand of music is thankfully outstripped by some merited musicianship, all the cooing, girly elements sullied by some real-life issue lyrics and the occasional potty mouth. This is how these kids work it out – hearts bare and spirits smiling to keep up the appearance. I’m more into the lovely jolt and second-half dynamics of A-side “Rod ‘N’ Reel,” especially the way the girls sing the words “Amanda Avenue,” but both songs will work. Pink vinyl in a nice pro-printed glued sleeve - Dusted Magazine
We all knew those kids in high school. The goofy kids that everyone knew and liked. The ones that made us all laugh. Those kids that were the kind of people you never run into in the real adult world. Only I did run into them, and those kids were the Besties.
If anyone could bring a positive, energetic atmosphere to Little King's on a lazy summer afternoon, the Besties could, and they did. The band's catchy melodies and energetic beats brought the crowd to a bounce, one by one. With the pure, innocent sounding female vocals of keyboardists Marisa and Kelly, and the playful singing style of frontman Rikky, the Besties create a lighthearted sound that brings you back to the carefree days of high school.
Not only was the musical presentation impressive, the showmanship was something to be mentioned as well. Each member of the Besties was courteously introduced to the audience. We felt not like spectators, but as if we were good old friends of the band, as they joked around with us. At one point, Rikky even stepped off of the stage to dance with fans and give an up-close guitar show. We were invited into the home of the Besties with a song about their house.
If there's anything that makes you feel a show was worthwhile, it's being able to say the band looked you in the eye and sang as though they were singing to only you. The Besties played their hearts out and entertained us like those kids in the back of the school bus once did, and they did it well.
- Athens Exchange
Discography
New Album "Home Free" out this fall on Hugpatch Records. www.hugpatch.com 2008
"Bone Valley Deposit" 7" on Hugpatch Records 2008
"Rod 'N' Reel 7" on Hugpatch Records 2007
Debut album "Singer" 2006 on Skipping Stones Records. www.skippingstonesrecords.com
Photos
Bio
The band came together in 2004 sort of by accident, when an inherited organ became the catalyst that started songwriting collaborations between new Florida-to-Brooklyn transplants Marisa Bergquist and Kelly Waldrop, lifelong friends who somehow never really thought about playing music together, despite a shared upbringing in the Florida punk scene. Their earliest songs featured lovely hooks and harmonies, but most importantly, an uncommon musical chemistry between the two. Rikky Walsh's catchy guitar playing was the perfect addition to the band and the three recorded a well-received album of these early songs against a drum machine, released by Skipping Stones Records in early 2006.
Seeking a sound that better expressed their punkier aesthetic, drummer Frank Korn was sought out to help give some "cojones" to the Besties' newer songs, which were rapidly progressing in complexity and dynamic. With the encouragement from the first album's success and the release of the Rod'n'Reel 7"on Hugpatch Records in early 2007 that sold out in just over a year, The Besties entered a period of day job-quitting intense focus, emerging a tighter, spunkier live band but with that early emphasis on melody still intact. Months of touring in the U.S. and Europe sharpened their skills and instincts, and with that momentum they went into the studio to record The Bone Valley Deposit 7" and a second full-length album slated for Fall 2008 release that more accurately captured their live sound: catchy, well-crafted pop songs played with the energy, enthusiasm and spunk of a teenage garage-punk band.
The Besties play a unique style of music that no one seems to be doing these days; today's indie-pop scene lacks that sweaty-faced enthusiasm, while much of the punk rock coming out lacks craft. Indie rock has become gimmick-centered and impersonal. The Besties are a breath of fresh air for all three of these genres.
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