Don't be fooled by the rather plain band name here, ‘cause there's just nothing basic about Eleanor Logan's solo project Happy New Year. A former player in Australia's underground punk scene, Logan now resides in Brooklyn, and like most musicians from there, her music reflects a very experimental and highly unusual vision. Even though at its core it's pop music that is universally appealing, Logan injects chimes, bells, vintage synth, and her subdued vocals in a very artistic manner.

Sometimes sounding cinematic, other times dark and desolate – yet still with a lot of beauty deeply ingrained – Happy New Year marries the best aspects of post punk, noise pop, and synth pop. “Twins,” early in the disc, best exemplifies Logan's style, eliciting hazy waves of psyche pop that sound hypnotic. It's the kind of track that reels you in like a late night soundtrack. “Movies” shows her more sparse side, as Logan's hushed vocals resonate with delicate grace. “Winter Sun” is a more full track, with plenty of use from electronica and programmed drums, and she takes a similar approach with “Gold Medallion” but places more emphasis on guitars that illustrates her punk roots. The disc closes on "High Sea,” a hazy, blurry and undeniably surreal track that builds from calm into louder drumming and guitars that fades back into quiet.

Atmospheric, dreamy, sophisticated, and ethereal are descriptions that jump out immediately upon hearing this debut album. After digging a bit deeper, things become mesmerizing, almost to the point of trance-like, and it certainly could be meditative for some people (she actually became inspired to pen this disc after doing shows to monks in Tokyo). There really isn't quite anything like this out in the world of indie rock. Logan's variety of instruments and very DIY recording process yield a truly organic and interesting listening experience for mature ears.

Rating: B

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