#FeatureFriday: Blue to Gold by People of Maha

Feature Friday
Comments

Imagine all the innocent charm of The Shaggs, mixed with the chaos of The Slits, throw in some Bjork pixie madness and a big chunk of 60s psych pop rock then before you know it the script get’s flipped and we’re into indie/alt rock foot stomping anthems that have you punching toward the ceiling. Hooky as a ton of fucks not given. That spins a out a jazz/indie guitar solo. It then wiggles into Arctic Monkey style riffs, all the while the vocals drift and soar with emotion and heft over a backbeat that has the song structure pinned down.

What is really beguiling about  this is the vocalists vocals which have an unforced agility but in places feel the right side of untrained. Can go gritty, can get flexible and gymnastic, all the while still feeling new and charming.

All of this on top of the combo of guitar, bass and drums which support the melodic intent of the songs. As I listen they veer off slightly and we’re are into 90s style indie pop, almost feels like a  slice of The Screaming Trees more folksy inspired elements. The delicate guitars turn into growls and back to slinky at the drop of a hat.

The bass and drums don’t just support, they work it hard, and you know it’s good when you don’t hear them until you focus in on them and you see the work and intent that has gone into them. The 60s Californian dreaming backing vocals are just so cool that they elevate everything they touch. And there it is, Belinda Carlisle. She lives in here somewhere. And that is good. Very good.

All of it has emotion and honesty and a performance which sells it hard.

If you like your Indie pop rock with a beat with that empires the hips. Alt rock with gritty soaring vocals and 60s bubblegum pop aesthetic and an 80s sense of the dramatic then your have all you need right here.

Untidy Music

Sometimes you need something that is a bit more lighthearted, something to put a swing in your step. And this album by the three ladies from People of Maha does just that. It’s energetic and fun rock music with a slight alternative bend and the tiniest bit of pop Punk for good measure on top. The abilities of the band members are on full display in each song: Bia has strong and flexible vocals, Alex shows great instincts for rock- and blues-guitar and Mila’s drumming is precise and dynamic in a variety of styles.

What sets this band apart for me are small, but impactful details. There is a light and pingy glockenspiel in “Space Girl”, adding to the lighthearted and fun atmosphere of the song. “The Silence” is this big, anthemic song that adds a march-like drumroll and “Darling” has a galloping bass-line in the post chorus that reminds me of Iron Maiden.

It’s choices like this that jumped out at me and improved on the already high catchiness of the songs. To me, this speaks to great care in the songwriting and arrangement department. Overall, this is a tremendously enjoyable album with a variety of moods. It’s quite polished for a debut release, the quality is there and it’s more than a little catchy. Basically, I’d recommend this to everyone who likes Rock, even if it’s neither hard nor heavy.

Florgoth

When I first started checked out Maha Girls’ ‘Blue to Gold’ it started by playing the fourth track of the album called ‘Darling’. Mistakenly thinking I was dealing with the album’s opener I was left impressed by the lazily meandering guitar riffs and soulful yet gritty croons of ‘PoM’s vocalist.

It reminded me a lot of PJ Harvey in that it sounds Alt but with a considerably bluesy element to it. And while that does describe a not insignificant percentage of the album it honestly even barely scratches the surface. Something that immediately became apparent from the moment I started playing the album from the first track on as I was treated to an album that just refuses to stand still.

Whether it be in the varied layers of instrumentation and synths that supplement the basic guitar-band layout or just the many subtle excursions in both moods and genres. It makes for an album that’s overall a bit funky. And while yes, I mean it has some riffs that remind me of the genre known as funk here and there, I just mostly mean it has a certain funk to it. Not as in the genre trappings per say, just that it’s kinda… well, weird.

Which is what we like over here. Not to mention it all feeling just poppy enough to make the songs absolute earworms without sacrificing that Alt edge it has going on for it. It makes for an album that doesn’t bore you and keeps you engaged throughout its runtime cause the album is so damn eclectic yet in the end feels very coherent all the same.

Eveyweveydevey

Updated: January 30, 2026 — 3:32 pm

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.