Album Review: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs

It feels strange that Hope Downs is Melbourne five-piece Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's debut, such was the traction gained by their first two EPs - 2015's Talk Tight and 2017's The French Press - but their patience has worked to their advantage.

It's allowed them to craft an accomplished album that perfectly encapsulates the rich lineage of jangly Australian guitar pop beginning with The Go-Betweens and continuing down the line to more recent exponents such as Twerps, Dick Diver and The Ocean Party. Overseas influences grace the mix as well - hints of the Postcard Records and Flying Nun rosters abound - but it's a defiantly Australian sound they're taking to the world via their Sub Pop alliance.

There's nary a misstep on the assured collection, the three singer-songwriters (Fran Keaney, Tom Russo and Joe White) all complementary in style with the band's inherent chemistry ensuring cohesion. Recorded alongside co-producer Liam Judson (Cloud Control), the sound is uncluttered and pristine, serving the songs and arrangements wonderfully. Confident guitar interplay abounds, complex without becoming histrionic, while their default laid-back vibe permeates the lyrics, rhythms and melodies of catchy tunes like Mainland, Time In Common and Exclusive Grave. Go forth and conquer.