Jason Holstrom

Epiphanies come so much easier away from home. Just ask Jason Holstrom—he went to Hawaii and discovered his inner Beach Boy. Based loosely on a vacation he took with his future wife in 2003, his debut is a sonic travelogue that draws obvious inspiration from vintage Hawaiian records and the almighty Brian Wilson (the title track could be a Pet Sounds outtake). But Holstrom’s songs aren’t all about beach bliss: Tourists get mugged, it rains, and he has an existential crisis. And yes, he falls in love.

Though Holstrom, a Seattle producer who has worked with Of Montreal and Aqueduct, relies heavily on tropical embellishments like ukulele strumming and steel-guitar sliding, he layers them with unexpected sounds. The snappy “Age Is in Ya Head!” has a wonderful mariachi horn line, whip cracks punctuate the surf-rock guitar riffs on “Crystal Green,” and “Waikiki Serenade—Crystal Blue” is a gorgeous slice of reverb-drenched psychedelia sans lyrics. You wouldn’t know The Thieves of Kailua was a one-man bedroom recording, and though the album took three years to complete, the slow, careful process paid off. Every detail of Holstrom’s Hawaiian half dream is rendered beautifully and delicately, especially the kind of lush harmonies he shows off on the closing track, “Hula-Bye,” which is like a less somber “Our Prayer” from Wilson’s Smile. Considering how hokey a Polynesian-themed record could be, Holstrom’s is consistently reverent of its inspiration.