Album Review: Hugo Race Fatalists - 24 Hours To Nowhere

9 August 2016 | 2:00 pm | Ross Clelland

"It's a red wine by candlelight thinking melancholy thoughts kinda record."

The read through of Hugo Race's musical history identifies him as part of that black-suited Melbourne milieu of which Nick Cave remains the spirit animal.

Although actually spending time as a Bad Seed, Race has led bands here and in Europe from the approachable to the discordant. 24 Hours To Nowhere has him in dark crooning mode, Gainsbourg and Cohen obvious touchstones as the cello and violin pine. But there's room for surprises: the title track has Angie Hart as unexpectedly downbeat duetting vocalist. Titles like No God In The Sky and Beautiful Mess further suggest the terrain. It's a red wine by candlelight thinking melancholy thoughts kinda record.