The Beautiful Girls

by Matt Collar Centered around singer/songwriter Mat McHugh, the eclectic Australian rock group Beautiful Girls make rootsy, folk-inflected pop that has drawn comparisons to such like-minded artists as Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and Mason Jennings. Formed in 2002, the band put out the mini-album Morning Sun and the five-track limited-edition EP Good Times before releasing their first full-length album, Learn Yourself, on San Dumo in 2003. A year later, the band released their second full-length studio album, We're Already Gone. Water and Ziggurats followed in 2006 and 2007, respectively.