This One Time, On Bandcamp: Brittle Sun

Do I really need to keep doing these little intro paragraphs? Really, I feel like it just delays everyone from getting to the actual substance of the article, especially because I'm prone to rambling the second that anyone gives me the room to do so, so… I'm thinking maybe from next week we'll just dive right in, unless I feel like I have something really important to say.

Since I probably won't have the room to mention this anywhere else going forward, then, let me just really quickly say that Sisko was a way better Star Trek captain than Picard. He did not suffer Q's bullshit ever, and he was basically space Jesus. Don't @ me.

Anyway. Diving right in.

Brittle Sun — Melbourne, Victoria

Brittle Sun coax a lot out of a little. The three-piece 'bluesy garage-folk' outfit comprise only vocals, keyboard and bass (with occasional drums), but it's what they do with those elements that make them an engaging and impressive listen.

It's not always easy to pinpoint the exact moment a band hooks you but, for me, it was the moment that vocalist Viki Mealings first belts out the lyric, 'And we can go down by the river/ just leave our worries behind' on Here With You, the opening track of their new EP, Elemental Skin. In that moment, she moves from pleasant and restrained to unexpectedly powerful, proving there's far more to this group than it first seems. Throughout, keyboardist Stewart Garrett skillfully provides the mellifluous meat of the pieces and bassist David Jetson grounds proceedings with his unobtrusive bottom end.

Having such instrumentally sparse soundscapes could easily be a curse, but the musicians are enchanting and capable enough to make it work to their advantage, giving each sufficient room to breathe and spotlight their particular strengths. Cure takes it a step further in the minimalist direction and, while a couple of Mealings' high notes aren't quite where she wants them to be, she still shows considerable chops and character as a singer, even comfortably injecting a more soulful element into her style on the EP's third, slightly more upbeat, track, Coming Home. Eloquent Lies wears the group's blues influences most openly, while closing gambit Love Her feels like the culmination of all that has come before, boasting boppy E-piano, amply sassy vocals and even the odd spot of soul-style back-ups.

It's a fun little record, and a solid first recorded outing from the Victorian trio, nicely capturing a spirit that feels like it would truly shine in a live setting. If you feel similarly, then you should probably know that Brittle Sun will actually be performing tonight, 28 May, at The Retreat Hotel, in Brunswick, along with songstress Sarah Eida.

Or, if you get along to Mr Boogie Man Bar in Abbotsford on 17 June, you can catch them as part of the 'I Am Not Your Groupie' tribute night to Courtney Love, which also features Eida along with Lisa Wood, Ill Gotten Booty, Katie's Bitchin'; Kitchen, Kat O & The Collectables, Astrohym, Monsteria and Liquor Snatch.

See the Facebook event page for more info.

Releases

Elemental Skin — EP, May 2017

Hear more tracks at Bandcamp.

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