Hellogoodbye

Hellogoodbye is a pop band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001. It begins as a recording project by Huntington Beach High School student Forrest Kline, working with fellow student Jesse Kurvink on synthesized power pop songs recorded on a computer. As the songs circulate online, the project builds a following and starts playing local shows in 2002 before any release appears.

Line-up and DIY approach

The early live line-up includes Kline on vocals and guitar and Kurvink on keyboards, with Parker Case or Aaron Flora on drums. Flora and bassist Marcus Cole then join permanently. In March 2004, Flora leaves and is replaced by Chris Profeta, then 16 years old. Later, Marcus Cole leaves and Travis Head plays bass. The band works in a strongly self-directed way, handling recording, artwork, posters, and merchandise design themselves.

Recordings and releases

Hellogoodbye signs to Drive-Thru Records in January 2004 and releases an EP, a CD, and a DVD through the label. The self-titled EP includes the video for “Call n’ Return”. The home DVD OMG HGB DVD ROTFL follows in 2005 and contains concert and touring footage as well as videos for the songs from the debut EP. The first full-length album, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!, appears in 2006 and becomes the highest-debuting Drive-Thru Records CD in the Billboard 100. The second full-length album, Would It Kill You?, follows in 2010.

Public profile

The band gains wider attention through appearances on MTV’s The Real World: Austin and by winning MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout in 2005. Their reputation is also associated with a DIY ethic, distinctive outfits, and a close relationship with fans.

Hello Goodbye

Hello Goodbye is also the name of a Scandinavian band made up of Swedes Lisa Lundkvist on vocals and Johannes Kanschat on drums, and Norwegians Frode Fivel on guitar and vocals and Alex Kloster-Jensen on producer and guitar. The group releases the 7-inch African Nights in 1999 on Smalltown Supersound and becomes established in the Norwegian underground scene.

Activity and releases

In 1999, the band also plays with Yo La Tengo in Oslo. In 2000, they move to Gothenburg, Sweden because of Lundkvist’s art studies and soon become part of the Swedish music scene, including an appearance at the Emmaboda festival. Alex Kloster-Jensen joins as an extra guitarist, making the group a quartet, and also produces Heart Attack, recorded in Gothenburg in 2001 and released in 2002 on Racing Junior. Their second album, Haunted Holiday, follows in 2004, also on Racing Junior.

Style and reception

The band combines Frode Fivel’s pop songwriting with Lundkvist’s more punk-oriented material. Live, the members perform closely together, with Johannes Kanschat playing behind two drums, Alex using distinctive guitar poses, Frode singing and playing, and Lundkvist moving from whispers to screams. Their sound is compared with artists including The Velvet Underground, The Cramps, The White Stripes, and, in one description, The Velvet Underground playing songs by Dead Moon or The Sonics.