A Quartet of Quirky Tracks To Start Your Week
SWEET JEAN with Everything Changes
Melbourne duo Sweet Jean a.k.a. Sime Nugent and Alice Keath have dropped a lyrical truth bomb on us with their latest tune Everything Changes. Interwoven guitar rhythms start the song in the best way possible, building a base for the pair’s dreamy vocals.
The raw, honest lyrics are sure to strike a chord with everyone who has experienced the come-down after a night of highs. “Everyone I know is leaving like the last train home/Now I’m sorry I’m out of money/I’ve got your number and I’m looking for a public phone”.
In the first verse, a dreamy flowing guitar melody with a steady syncopated beat creates a strong foundation beneath the pair’s perfect vocal unison. Well-placed harmonies build up the chorus and the verses that follow, filling gaps that you wouldn’t have even known existed and completing an impressive, mature track.
Sweet Jean’s forthcoming album ‘Monday To Friday’ is set for release on Friday 13 May.
MAR HAZE with You Within
Indie-rock 4-piece Mar Haze have got hearts pumping with You Within, a tune almost as dreamy as the band’s name. The new release is proof that these beach boys are moving with the times and putting a modern spin on their laid-back rock style.
A retro synthesiser melody kicks things off with just enough edge to balance the acoustic elements that follow. Pulsing organ chords bring an irresistible jazz vibe to the verses, a small taste of the band’s genre-trotting versatility.
The original synth melody makes a hypnotic, almost extraterrestrial addition to the chorus where lead singer Pat Kelly shows off his exceptionally clean falsetto vocals. Keyboardist Kane Charles’ smooth vocal harmonies are the final ingredient in this complex concoction, leaving no space unfilled.
Mar Haze’s single You Within is available now!
ARTHUR BEATRICE with Since We Were Kids
Arthur Beatrice’s new track Since We Were Kids is as impressive as it is ambitious. The track sounds like the lovechild of Florence + the Machine and Delta Goodrem with its mellow piano and dramatic vocals.
The bare instrumentation in the verses creates a sense of intimacy and rawness, providing frontwoman Ella Girardot and her incredible top notes with the spotlight they deserve. As the song moves through the chorus, ruminating strings and barely-there percussion build into a full tapestry of sound, complete with syncopated drum beats and pulsing guitar rhythms.
An impressively mature release, Since We Were Kids has got us brimming with anticipation for Arthur Beatrice’s forthcoming album. ‘Keeping The Peace’ is due out on Friday 27 May!
AUGUSTE with Kingdom
Adelaide step-sisters Skye Lockwood and Beth Keough a.k.a. Auguste have released their new single Kingdom, and all signs point to a grand reception. The girls say the new song is “a synth-soaked call-to-arms for those defending themselves against personal space invaders”.
The track starts with pulsing vocals, smoothing out into a ethereal harmony-heavy daydream. The combination of strings and synth in the chorus creates a fascinating contrast of emotive and electronic while the relentless percussion rhythm keeps the track pulsing.
The girls’ clever use of vocal harmonies in the prechorus give it a sense of thickness and complexity without changing much at all. Perhaps even more impressive is the perfect unison in the reprise of the prechorus – ironically, it’s their ability to blend that makes this duo stand out.
Check out the Kingdom music video below!
