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MUSIC REVIEWS

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FEATURE ARTIST

Stella Donnelly Flood Indie singer-songwriter Stella Donnelly follows her acclaimed 2019 debut record with Flood , a collection of vignettes which further cements the Perth native’s lyrical prowess. Opening with the buoyant Lungs , Donnelly strays from her recognisable guitar-oriented instrumentation, instead emphasizing the track’s propulsive beat. The rest of the album is an exercise in restraint, with highlights including the bare bones acoustic of Morning Silence and the languid Restricted Account , the latter inducing a feeling of relaxation with its acoustic guitar, delicate trumpet and sparse piano. While its predecessor bared its teeth with anger, Flood is a comparatively tender, stripped-back record, reintroducing Donnelly as a multifaceted songwriter with an eye for detail and an undeniable gift for melody. (Secretly Canadian) Holly Pereira

Telenova Stained Glass Love Hot on the heels of their 2021 debut EP, Melbourne indie-pop trio Telenova reveal their second offering: five songs bursting with vitality, emotional depth and infectious hooks. Picking things up where Tranquilize left off, Stained Glass Love gets straight to business with the trip-hop influenced Scarlet , lead singer and lyricist Angeline Armstrong’s evocative vocal seizing the listener’s full attention. Haunted enraptures with its lovesick lyrics and sublime chorus, Armstrong perfectly encapsulating the visceral feelings that come with romance. Silver Lining is the EP’s most melancholic track, culminating in an instrumental breakdown that reflects the intensity of feelings explored. Though Telenova are still in the early stages of their musical journey, Stained Glass Love proves once and for all that they're destined for big things. (Pointer Recordings/ Remote Control) Holly Pereira

Muse Will of the People After Warner requested a greatest hits album from Muse, the band instead decided to create "a greatest hits album – of new songs", according to Matt Bellamy. In the funky and strangely sexy opening title track, which struts with more swagger than John Travolta during Saturday Night Fever ’s opening scene, Muse sound more like T. Rex than

ever before – and we’re immediately in awe of their virtuosity: “Let’s push the emperors into the ocean...” – dramatic, as always. The synthtastic Compliance follows, showcasing Bellamy’s soaring, flawless-yet-emotive vocals and featuring an instrumental breakdown that channels the Knight Rider theme. Liberation could be a long-lost Queen song. Elsewhere: Ghosts (How Can I Move On) is Matt Bellamy’s first attempt at “an Adele piano-like song” (nailed it!); You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween belongs in a spooky musical (with portentous organ supplied by The Phantom of the Opera ); and the debilitating main guitar riff – try not to pull a stank face! – in Kill or Be Killed , which could’ve been on Muse’s seventh album Drones (2015), channels The Prodigy’s rave anthem Charly . Then the record closes, unflinchingly, with We Are F-cking F-cked (true dat!). Bellamy, now LA-based, started writing Muse’s self-produced ninth album "when all the protests and all the chaos were kicking off”. Then reality continued to serve up heaps of harrowing inspo. Doom-mongers on the reg, Muse have created soundtracks for the apocalypse from the get-go. And on Will of the People , art imitates life, super-close to the bone. (Warner) Bryget Chrisfield

FEATURE ARTIST

CLAMM Care Thunderous basslines and

Death Cab for Cutie Asphalt Meadows On their tenth studio record,

Two Door Cinema Club Keep on Smiling Self-written and self-produced (with additional assistance from their buddy Jacknife Lee, one of Keep on Smiling ’s producers), Two Door Cinema Club’s latest record is a joyous celebration that captures what it must’ve felt like to reunite and jam with your band IRL after lockdown. “Supposing you wanted to be a millionaire, how

growling vocals take centre stage on Melbourne outfit CLAMM’s new record. A searing distillation of fear, frustration and yearning, Care explores a generation’s ever looming sense of dread while never completely drowning in pessimism. There’s a sincerity and intensity to these tracks which, when paired with the relentless instrumentation, create a flawless storm of a punk record that is so clearly made for live performances (which the three-piece have just blessedly announced; they'll be performing dates across QLD, NSW, VIC and WA from the end of this month through to the conclusion of October). Bold, honest and uncompromisingly loud, Care might just be the perfect album for the end of the world. (Chapter/Inertia) Jacqui Picone

indie-rock mainstays Death Cab for Cutie ask the existential questions early, kicking things off with I Don’t Know How I Survive which balances pared-back verses with supercharged choruses. Here to Forever is classic Death Cab, while Foxglove Through the Clearcut pairs post-rock instrumentation with lead vocalist Ben Gibbard delivering a captivating spoken-word. Meanwhile, I Miss Strangers sums up a feeling many experienced while in lockdown, before the spacious Fragments from the Decade poignantly reflects on the passing of time. Asphalt Meadows is bold in its production but unmistakably Death Cab, a band that deserve their status as one of the most cherished acts of the 21st century. (Warner) Holly Pereira

would you go about it? What’s the best way?” a professor-sounding bloke asks a young girl in the chopped-up sample that sets the scene throughout standout banger Millionaire . A percolating beat underscores suspended synth chords as cheerful, shimmering riffs land like Tinker Bell’s fairy dust. You wouldn’t think so judging from the title, but High is a slow-dancing moment. Here Alex Trimble goes all balladeer on our a-ses, testing the upper reaches of his singable compass and sounding vulnerable AF. Another highlight, Feeling Strange ’s tropical percussion deserves a spontaneous conga line. Then the fantastic bass-slappin’, Vocoder-utilising Won’t Do Nothing – which channels Chromeo – will have you searching for a podium, or table, to dance on. Lyrics feature some adorbs rhyming couplets (e.g. “Night is day/ Café au lait”; “Mystery man/ Thinking ‘bout a spray tan”), and although TDCC’s synth lines embrace melancholy, their music conjures pogo sticks and bouncy castles. Listening to Keep on Smiling is morale-boosting, kinda like that wartime slogan 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. Turn it up way loud and cancel life’s noise for maximum enjoyment. (Lower Third/PIAS) Bryget Chrisfield

90 SEPTEMBER 2022

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