With help from Skrillex, Coca-Cola and awkward moments with Letterman, indie-pop band Hundred Waters is looking ahead to a dream year.
They say for every undeserving band that gets their big breakthrough, there are dozens of deserving musicians that start thumbing through the classifieds the next morning.
Despite the ascendence of bands like Psy, Rebecca Black and Of Mice And Men, Gainesville, Florida’s has stuck it out since 2011. Although up until recently, you’d be forgiven for thinking the quartet would never get the break many would say they had coming. Despite releasing a well-received debut album in 2012 and an even better follow-up a year later, the band’s success could only be measured in blog posts, and a record contract via OWLSA, a label created by Sonny Moore, AKA popular EDM DJ Skrillex.
That was true until about two weeks ago. Somewhere during the first quarter of Superbowl XLIX, millions of Americans were introduced to the band when the opening song from Hundred Waters’ sophomore album, “The Moon Rang Like A Bell,” played over . (That night, the band to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.) Just over a week later, frontwoman Nicole Miglis would get her woven dress/jacket/pant after making their network television debut on his show.
But with big audiences come big expectations. Frontwoman Miglis admits it was nervier than your average weekday show, partly because it was the first time she performed without a piano or microphone stand to lean on.
“I had no crutch,” Miglis said. “I was really exposed and became a lot more aware of myself. But when you’re performing, you get lost in a blur.”
“A blur” is an apt a phrase as any to describe the music of Hundred Waters. An amalgam of pop, acoustic and avant-garde electronic, their sound is difficult to describe, but not to appreciate. A formally trained musician, Miglis’ ear for melody and resonant lyrics make for darkly enchanting songwriting. the a cappella opener Coca-Cola chose to score their anti-bullying Super Bowl ad, is a prime example. But the band’s novel rhythms are no less worthy of mention, and like most pop outfits, they’re a large part of the draw for the band’s live show.
The legion of weeks-old Hundred Waters fans will get a shot to hear the band live as they embark on tour in support of their latest release, a remixed version of “The Moon Rang Like A Bell.” A remix album may sound strange considering how personal and delicate much of Hundred Waters’ small catalogue is, but remember: Skrillex is essentially their label boss. Though he doesn’t appear anywhere on the remix album — “Sonny is always crazy busy,” Miglis said — the band is looking to work with him in the near future.
Skrillex aside, Miglis said the remix album gave the band an opportunity to have their work reinterpreted by artists they respect, not to mention lend it more of a dance-floor punch. Though she was mum on details, fans can expect a mash-up of original recordings and the remixes from “The Moon Rang Like A Bell” when the band play Denver’s Bluebird Theater on Saturday.
Even if you don’t make it, expect to hear more from Hundred Waters. We may only be halfway through February, but they’re already having a dream year for an indie band — and deservedly so.
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Dylan Owens writes album reviews, essays and features for Reverb. You can read more from him on his website, or the comment sections of WORLDSTARHIPHOP.
