Album Of The Week: Little May ‘For The Company’
Welcome to a happy place. Where you can let go of your insecurities and be swept up in a wave of gorgeous swells and rock undertones. Where harmonies run wild, and subtle textured layers of music all blend together to make a powerful wall of talent. Welcome to Little May’s debut record; where you come along for the hype and you stay for the love. ‘For The Company’ is the first full length LP work from the Sydney femmes fatales and has burst through the ranks with a powerful force that cannot be ignored. The lasses have stepped up their game. They have left any doubt and insecurity they had about their sound behind, and have produced a full bodied powerhouse of a record; one that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Cyclical guitar motions streamline the record’s debut, lulling the listener into a false sense of acoustic folk security, before building into a climatic tune. Cicadas shed their skin as Little May shed theirs, new beginnings are always exciting. Certainly showing their skills in this opening transition piece, the gals they show off their folk mastery building step by step, layer by layer, creating a full bodied feels fest. It’s truly one hell of a fiery opening.
Little May never fail to surprise and ‘For The Company’ is a testament to that. The LP brings together a collection of tracks that all stand out on their own, showcasing a completely different side of their talent spectrum. Each individual tune hold such complex intricacies that are all weaved together so delicately combining opposing vocal rhythms and melodies that somehow blends together so perfectly.
As other tracks gallop into a quick paced motion, Chemicals holds the reins back on this stallion as we are forced to hold up, and take a breath. “These strangers know you better now” accompanies a haunting little guitar riff that stop you in your tracks, making you want to close your eyes and do the best impression you’ve got of Luna Lovegood dancing.
Sinks gives a very good argument to say that these gals are more than just a simple indie/folk label. From a soft rock opening that features the soaring vocals of lead Liz Drummond, to an electric fuelled swell of sound that makes you start rocking towards the end of it, something I never thought I’d say to a Little May track. But it’s certainly something I could get used to. Of course just as this writer says that, the record then launches into an electric guitar/drum love affair that is Remind Me. The gals aren’t holding back on any stops on this record, will some full blown rock electric guitar solos and an intricate and so bloody impressive drum kit blasting through the track, I think we have quite the banger with this one.
The Shine Is Brighter At Night ends the record on poignant note. The deep and honest ballad beats out, “Rest my eyes I don’t want to see you/rest my brain I don’t want to know” pining for an old lover. The track tampers out subtly, leaving that almost unresolved melancholy that haves you itching for me. A complete and powerful record with such a tease of an ending, it’s so annoyingly beautiful.
‘For The Company’ is certainly a record that delves deep into all facets of finesse tucked away in the minds of the trio. From belting out rock instrumentals, to delicately weaving painfully beautiful piano ballad, the girls have taken all their experiments and created a blissful body of work. Containing a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, it covers a vast range of sound and ideas, but if one thing is for sure, it’s that they’ve nailed every single one. Popping a band’s LP cherry can sometimes be a scary and delicate thing for a band, but Little May haven’t hesitated in the slightest, proving themselves without a single doubt in sight.
