EP PREMIERE: Rosie Burgess - Handful, Part Two

Melbourne singer-songwriter Rosie Burgess only released her most recent EP, Handful, Part One, in October, but as the qualifier in that title suggests, it was the first instalment of a dual release that is completed this week with the unveiling of her gorgeous follow-up, Handful, Part Two.

Premiering on theMusic.com.au today, Handful, Part Two, was recorded in Burgess' home studio — affectionately dubbed The Room Off The Kitchen — and is a natural continuation of its predecessor's personal leanings; a collection of thoughtful, evocative, and utterly euphonious songs that touch on themes such as tall-poppy syndrome (Raise You Up) and reflections on a life (On You Ride, a tribute to late uncle, and Greens MP, John Kaye), while harmonious opener Run Through The Fire muses, 'You can run through the fire just to feel the burn/ but there's no point in flying just to fall'.

Throughout, there is a persistent awareness of the disquiet and dissatisfaction that seems to permeate many aspects of modern life, something that, Burgess says, "I see around me all the time".

"Friends feeling that life is somehow letting them down, people desperate to feel something but they’re not quite sure what, a lingering sense of dissatisfaction, a desperation to fix it without really knowing what it is or how to do it," she elaborated in a statement, explaining that it's also something to which she hopes her music, and the hope therein, can be an antidote.

It should be little surprise that, short though it may be, Handful, Part Two is so stuffed to the brim with musical maturity and excellence. Burgess has, after all, been at this for a while now, having released her first EP, 2 For Breathing, back in 2004, as well as four solo studio albums since (the most recent being 2008's Wait For The World), a live set and two full-lengths (in 2010 and 2012) with the Rosie Burgess Trio, the outfit she has fronted for the past seven-or-so years.

Handful, Part Two will be released independently this Friday, 7 April.

The Trio, with whom Burgess is currently performing, consists of the songstress along with drummer Sam Lohs and bassist Tim Bennett; the three-piece will bring the EP's songs to life at a special launch show at The Toff In Town on Thursday 11 May.

For more information, see theGuide.