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MUSIC REVIEWS

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Huntly Sentimental Still Melbourne electronic duo Huntly reemerge after their 2019 debut with Sentimental Still , a tribute to platonic and romantic relationships and the emotions that come with them. Opening track Undertage is a euphoric rush, propulsive in rhythm before the brief isolation of Elspeth Scrine’s vocal enhances the track's intimate nature. Congratulations is a meditation on two people growing apart, melancholic synths capturing the song’s wistful intent, before Make You Proud pairs delicate flourishes of piano with layered beats to highlight the duo’s more experimental side. Though the album is largely about connecting with others, honouring your time alone is explored on Still Be Someone , with the importance of respecting yourself within relationships driven home on the

WILSN Those Days Are Over “I don’t care if you’re ready or not,” WILSN sings in If You Wanna Love Me , the opening track on her first album. That's right: the Melbourne-via-Geelong singer is stepping up and seizing the moment. Though she claims to be “not the kind of girl to wear my heart right on my sleeve”, she’s also not afraid to “show you what I’m worth”. Melbourne’s soul revival has been spearheaded by the Teskey Brothers, and Josh Teskey joins WILSN for the album’s standout moment Hurts So Bad , a deliciously smooth slice of soul, where their voices seamlessly meld together. Heartache and hurt have never sounded so good. With producer and partner Stephen Charles, WILSN (real name Shannon Busch) has crafted a debut that’s all class. Yep, Australian music has a new

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Henry Wagons South of Everywhere "Mmm, c’mon.” So starts Henry Wagons’ first solo album in seven years, an invitation for a night on the town with Melbourne’s cosmic crooner. “You feelin’ low? C’mon, let’s go.” It’s an offer too good to refuse. But you might end up someplace you don’t expect. Wagons has always known how to write a nifty tune, but he’s taken his songwriting to the next level here.

These are short, sharp songs, but there’s nothing slight about this record. Felix Granger the Finger Pickin’ Boy , with its table tennis percussion and Chris Cheney’s perfectly placed guitar solo, is a classic storytelling song. But it’s when Wagons goes deep inside that this album truly shines. Performing the work of Warren Zevon has clearly left its mark; the masterful American songwriter would be proud to call songs such as I Don’t KnowWhen it Is I’m Gonna Die and BedroomWindow his own. Then there’s Don’t Give Up (Just Yet) , a stunning song about staying the course. Much of the album sounds like a farewell, with the singer pondering his life on the road. The closing cut is even called It’s Time to Go Joe and Wagons sings: “No one’s gonna miss me when I’m gone.” He believes “the third act is playin’.” The denouement sees our hero return, realising that though he’ll always have a restless spirit, you can’t run forever. And there’s no place like home. Henry Wagons has always been a great entertainer; South of Everywhere shows he’s also a great artist. (Cheatin' Hearts Records) Jeff Jenkins

empowering Shameless. (Dot Dash) Holly Pereira

soul queen. She’s ready. (Ivy League) Jeff Jenkins

Kimbra A Reckoning “I’m the accident waiting to happen,” Kimbra warns at the start of her fourth album. “It’s just a matter of time.” And like Daniel Johns’ FutureNever , you can’t look away. On her first album in five years, the New Zealand star comes across as both fragile and fierce, vulnerable and assertive, with her Prince-like pop punctuated by terrific twists and turns. The singer – who found worldwide fame as one half of Gotye’s blockbuster Somebody That I Used to Know – has delivered a record that’s part therapy session, part pop adventure. She’s dealing with some demons and confronting the fact that memories can tear you apart. “All I see, all that stays,” she laments, “are pictures of us on replay.” And later she confides: “I miss the way we were.” Yep, you won’t emerge unscathed. A reckoning, indeed. (Inertia) Jeff Jenkins

Pierce the Veil The Jaws of Life

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Marked by vibrant lyrical work, droning guitars that belong in cavernous venues and an attitude of survival, The Jaws of Life feels like a storm brewing out at sea – constantly rolling, deceptively forceful, and almost restless in its pacing. Vic Fuentes’ instantly recognisable California drawl is the star of the record, equally in its explosive staccato moments and lingering, wistful reprieves. An immersive and delightfully versatile record from open to close, The Jaws of Life is a clear standout in the San Diego band’s already near-perfect discography. If 2022 marked the return of the emo band, it looks like 2023 is going to have a Pierce the Veil summer. (Fearless Records) Jacqui Picone

Tim Rogers & the Twin Set Tines of Stars Unfurled

We all know that Tim Rogers is a great rock star. He’s a terrific troubadour, too. In 1999, Tim Rogers & the Twin Set released What Rhymes with Cars and Girls . It was Rogers’ debut solo album but very much a band affair, with the players wrangled by producer Jen Anderson. Twenty-four years later, Rogers has

put the band back together and come up with a ripping riposte. Like Top Gun: Maverick , this is the sequel a long time coming that might be better than the original, with charming winks and nods to the first album. Back then, Rogers was listening to Joni Mitchell – now it’s Kevin Mitchell. Time has moved on but getting older ain’t so bad. The first record’s 28-year-old is now giving advice: “You’re 22, you know what to do – just get on out there.” Rogers might be a little wiser but he’s still capable of a wisecrack. “I’m no good on the tools,” he reveals in The Drinks They Drained as I Drove Away . But he’s a superb songwriter: erudite, funny, and tender. What Rhymes came with liner notes from Geoffrey Weiss, who signed You Am I in the US. “I can’t tell you what it sounds like,” he concluded, “because the vocabulary for doing that has been cheapened beyond use by the culture of hype and money. I like it, and if you’ve read this far, you probably will too.” That statement is also apt for Tines of Stars Unfurled . As Rogers says, “the rhythm, the rhyme, was built to last”. (Virgin) Jeff Jenkins

18 FEBRURY 2023

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