Posts By Grace Pashley

INTRODUCING: These Guy

, , No Comment

Squaready20150510201957

Brisbane fella Joe Saxby has been putting music out under the moniker These Guy just short of a year now, but what a year it’s been. He released his debut EP, To Say or Do, late last year, and the recent addition of two band members has seen These Guy (that grammatical awkwardness trips me up every time) gather momentum throughout 2015.

‘Always Right’ is the latest track from These Guy, and it builds on the EP’s clear strengths – namely Saxby’s penchant for harmonies that reverberate around your head and his ability to balance instrumentation so that it floats weightlessly above the vocals.

The creeping melancholy of ‘Always Right’ will be an absolute treat for any fans of Deerhunter, or even Saosin’s acoustic tracks, but for god’s sake don’t listen to it if you’re pining over someone. Or do – emotional purging will probably ensue. Beautiful track though.

These Guy are playing shows sporadically around Brisbane, so keep an eye on Facebook to catch them.

Facebook / Bandcamp / Soundcloud

Read Post →

INTRODUCING: Twelve Point Buck

, , No Comment

Squaready20150510182137

Twelve Point Buck have been making beautiful fuzz rock for a hot minute now, but 2015 has seen them develop into a fully-fledged four piece, putting out their first EP Boris this March.

It was a long wait (they had me drooling over their sad-girl shoegaze track ‘Twenty Two’ for almost a year in the interim), but Boris made me forget the delay entirely. The Blue Mountain outfit’s debut EP is essentially what would happen if Kim Deal and Billy Corgan were mashed into one person and that person’s mouth made melodic noise whenever it opened, like one of those perpetually-gaping clowns at a fair. In fact Twelve Point Buck’s music has that kind of lingering, ethereal air that would make it the perfect soundtrack for exploring dilapidated showgrounds.

Despite delighting in the melancholy of it all, I was pleasantly surprised at the EP’s sunny turn when ‘Callie’ popped up two tracks in. I can’t tell if it’s the song’s title or the bright, jangly guitar line and almost mindless repetition that makes me think of a Californian road trip. The off-kilter vocal arrangement creates the dynamic the song needs to stop it from melting into the sound wall that comes with gals-just-wanna-make-a-pop-song (and have fun) guitar pop. It’s also a necessary break from the spread of luscious distortion and droning vocals that fills the remainder of the EP. (You don’t want to spend ALL of your time wandering around a terrifying showground, do you?)

Head along to the Oxford Art Factory on May 30th for the EP release party.

Facebook / Bandcamp / Soundcloud

Read Post →

INTRODUCING: Low Lux

, , No Comment

Low Lux

Low Lux are an assortment of five Sydney musicians, including the vocals of Daisy Dowd whose string skills were honed in the now disbanded Bridezilla.

Their debut single is ‘Rivers Roll’. Aside from their neat use of alliteration, the track is the a brooding melodic statement that turns relationship goofs into smooth indie rock.

The dark undertones of ‘Rivers Roll’ are reminiscent of Warpaint, with Dowd’s sweet staccato voice flitting across the verses before agitating their way into the chorus where the band is allowed to lush-out. There is plenty of bass and guitar licks throughout the track, with layered instrumentation thrown in for good measure. 

The single is accompanied by a lovely clip which is great if you’d ever wondered what pretty musicians would look like under red and blue cellophane-wrapped light. Spoiler alert: they’re still pretty.

Low Lux are releasing their debut EP on the 21st June at Newtown Social Club in Sydney.

Facebook / Twitter / Soundcloud

Read Post →

LISTEN: Ella Thompson – ‘Arcade’

, , No Comment

press shot

Ella Thompson has been seriously busy. You might recognise her sweet-as-custard pipes from Melbourne electro-funk duo GL, or Dorsal Fins, or you know, the days when she kicked it with the Bamboos. Thompson has just released ‘Arcade’ off the back of supporting Angel Olsen last month.

The single is a melancholy synth pop introduction to her debut album, Janus, slated for release later this year. Despite her impressive resume, ‘Arcade’ sees Thompson come into her own distinct sound, with gravelly synths, moaning melodies and vocals layered with harmonies and subtle distortion. The clip is generally what I want out of a synth pop track – blue-washed silhouettes pressed through a VHS time machine.

Facebook / Soundcloud / Tumblr

Read Post →

INTRODUCING: Porsches

, , No Comment

Squaready20150217192939

Sydney duo Porsches have the whole Australian summer electro pop thing down with their debut single ‘Horses’. In fact they nailed the brief so perfectly that Sweat It Out! Music took notice, signing the boys off the back of the single.

Carl Fox and Jesse Sewell produce taut, bouncing beats that bubble underneath spaced out, synth-washed vocals. The track is sprinkled with a calypso/steel drum-type effect to boot.

It’s your classic Sweat It Out! recipe for a smooth, sophisticated electronic act that’s more than just trite triple j fodder. Although it’s already pricked the ears of a few major commercial TV stations, ‘Horses’ doesn’t rely on those banger clichés that make summer pop so damn annoying.

With this much attention for their debut, Porsches are setting themselves up for a bright 2015 indeed.

Facebook / Soundcloud

Read Post →

LISTEN: Broadway Sounds – ‘Something Sensual’

, , 1 Comment

Squaready20141030165212

‘Something Sensual’ is the synth boogie track off Broadway Sounds’ most recent EP, The Last Detail, and sits amongst the band’s signature Afro-pop and calypso influenced jams.

Most tracks from the Melbourne 4-piece would be best enjoyed sipping a rainbow cocktail stacked with exotic fruits by the pool of your favourite low-cost roadside motel – all of which you can see in the clip to their track ‘Something Sensual’.  It looks like an over-40s dating infomercial one minute and astrological matchmaking the next.

Frankly, if you produce an analogue synth boogie track that doesn’t have 90s fluoro-wash VHS production and breakdancing Adidas clad youth in its film clip, you’re doing it wrong.

Facebook / Bandcamp / Soundcloud

Read Post →

LISTEN: North Arm – ‘Lately’

, , No Comment

Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

North Arm are a Sydney-via-Newcastle-via-North Arm four piece who have been producing spaced-out folktronica since early 2013. The band’s new single, ‘Lately’, is an ethereal combination of front man Roderick Smith’s whispery vocals and a finely picked acoustic guitar, which floats atop a crescendo of percussion and synths.

‘Lately’ is decidedly more folk than the spread of lo-fi dream pop tunes on debut EP Thought Lines. I’m not sure which I prefer, but the production is ace all round – preventing the finely layered atmosphere of ‘Lately’ from turning into the ‘omg we get it’ overwrought boredom of some dream pop outfits.

The careful manipulation of traditional rock song structures gives North Arm an edge that I’m keen to hear more of on their next EP, Life Cycles, due out later this year.

Facebook / Bandcamp

Read Post →