Album Review: Boomgates - Double Natural

Melbourne indie rock supergroup Boomgates have been threatening an album for a while. To make their debut Double Natural, the band has distilled the essence of great Australian underground rock bands like The Ears, The Little Murders and The Go-Betweens.

Vocal duties are shared by the charismatic Brendan Huntley, also of indie darlings Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and triple j radio announcer Steph Hughes. The blend of male and female vocals works a treat as the two trade space in front of the mic, over a swathe of swirling, messy guitars and ex-Trial Kennedy drummer Shaun Gionis' exemplary work behind the kit.

The band gives these songs plenty of space to breathe. The appropriately titled Natural Progression is the perfect example of the band letting a song grow over the course of three and a half minutes. Built around a relaxed bass line and the interplay of the guitars, the song culminates in an unexpected power that shows off how well these musicians fit together.

Hughes' voice provides a tender way into a song like the delicate Cartons And Cans while Everything takes on a cosmic, jangly Byrds-esque haze before the fuzz kicks in.

No doubt Boomgates will have to cop comparisons to Eddy Current Suppression Ring but based on this debut this isn't just Huntley messing around on his ECSR days off. There's a sparkling chemistry within this band that one suspects won't be confined to just one album.