Something of a supergroup of second-generation New Zealand rock stars and their pals, BARB is comprised of Liam Finn, Eliza-Jane Barnes, Lawrence Arabia, Seamus Ebbs and Connan Mockasin. Finn and Barnes -- the son of Split Enz/Crowded House’s Neil and daughter of Jimmy, respectively -- had previously worked together as a duo, releasing Champagne in Seashells in 2009, but the members of the quintet had crossed paths much earlier, running in similar circles and playing music on occasion. These loose associations tightened when the musicians formed BARB in early 2010, heading into Roundhead Studios in Auckland to record and winding up with a hazy psychedelic pop album released under the name BARB in the summer of 2010. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine