Review Summary: We are the altar of the sun.
What the five ladies of Fifth Harmony have done by reviving the gaudy girl-group concept has sent shockwaves throughout the music spectrum, emulating the plethora of girls that combined forces together in the '90s. With their profound sexiness and flair flashing away, appropriating their sex appeal in spades to audiences. The only difference was the path they chose musically, seeing as Fifth Harmony has partaken the R&B, urban path their predecessors have embarked on many times before. You aren't getting much from it outside of that mainstream spectrum. Which is where, fortunately to our avail, the essence of alternative pop-rock comes into life in its own girly form, not quite like the abstract, oozing elegance Haim creates in being the only significant girl-band there, but nonetheless it's quite the cooling, sugary refresher with LA girl-band Bahari taking the helm by releasing their summer-ready debut, the peachy "Dancing On The Sun". Consisting of members Sidney Sartini, Ruby Carr, and Natalie Panzarella, these girls have made quite the punch in their short tenure. Still seemingly unknown on the music spectrum, these three self-taught musicians have suddenly racked quite the shockingly pleasing resume, from being featured on a Zedd track to currently opening for Selena Gomez, these girls have come gushing out of nowhere like a blustery wind breezing through the summer heat. While comparisons and otherwise will arise, these girls aren't some sort of Haim clone, their talent far precedes the sudden comparisons that will come to mind in an instant.
It's easy to forget and be caught off guard by the three, blonde-haired ladies with their profound beauty and awe, but their musical talent more than precedes itself from the attraction that Bahari clutch around. Wrapping around their roots of being immersed in the urban, beachfront suburb of Manhattan Beach and the upcoming summer creeping around, this girl-band trio gives you a sweetened, delicious taste of it that leaves you for a refill. With their polished, elegant vocals that invoke the essence of summer days and road trips, their sleek, sun-bathed and global sound spans across, giving the dreamy impression that the fun doesn't end quite there. In the wavy, summer anthem "Summer Forever", the percussive, hot guitar crashes with the wave with their ultraviolet vocals beaming out of the speakers, warming itself in with the angelic vocals the trio unite on together, conveying the realization that nobody wants the upcoming summer that is upon us to end, and who wouldn't? With catchy, inviting lyricism like "Days last forever/nights even better" and a flowery, infectious hook that is destined to infect your mind through the scorching summer days and nights, this invokes warm Southern California vibes, almost The Colourist-influenced essence to the highest degree, a sweet, aquarius set at that. This whole set feels like the beginning and the end of a typical summer day, with their street, urban "Altar Of The Sun" being the waking alarm to the eventful invitational ahead with an seemingly upbeat, bustling guitar rushing through the traffic while Sartini, Carr, and Panzarella send a flare through the morning sunrise with their electric, candied vocals. Vigorously chanting "we are the altar of the sun" as they bristle along, it calls once again to its oceanic premise with vigor and confidence. They don't just let their vocal talent take the steering wheel, they share that control with their musical abilities beyond the mic and voids the typical girly stereotype you would come to expect when you see this band in first sight. You wouldn't expect this is the kind of capability that they have in themselves, and that's what makes it all the more fascinating.
While they derive away from their original formula for a more mainstream, radio-built hit in the colorful, Hawaii-like "Dancing On The Sun" it doesn't take away the fact that Bahari is infinitely more than the generic, stereotypical assumption and comparisons that they will continue to garner and be assumed with. Whilst the mainstream route for that one instance boggles down the content, pairing with some cringeworthy lyricism like "past to the right side/give me a Mai Tai", it fortunately isn't enigmatic enough to wash the fun trip to bare shore. Being that the name for the band comes from the Swahili term for "ocean", this peachy debut is symbolic to their surroundings, making quite the splash with their tropical, geocentric sound and angelic vocals that slip in gracefully with it. It invokes that city-like feeling together with its sandy, beach-like essence so it isn't just fixated on your typical summer-esque concept. Whilst being fairly new to the game, these three teenagers have amassed an astonishing resume at this point, especially with the pairing of joining Selena Gomez for her spanning Revival tour, and if anything, these three beautiful ladies have themselves quite the growing international movement coming along, and that's promising.
