Live Review: PREMIERE: Poolroom. delivers wacky emotionality on his 'precious boi' EP

Sydney's Charles Waldren AKA POOLROOM. wants you to feel all of the feels. His smashing take on clashing electro-pop mixes expertly with his ability to captivate audiences with his devout emotionality that lovingly invites you in. His music works to challenge pre-conceived notions of what it means to write a song, and in the process, has solidified a sound for himself that edges on fearless.

He's releasing his debut EP, precious boi, officially this Friday via his new found family over at Sydney based label Viscera Arts, a local artist development platform. Though the EP's out in a few days, we've got the first taste of it right here premiering today via Purple Sneakers.

'If I Call' opens the EP, a track that instantly transports you into the wah's and oo's of 80's-inspired electropop. A shuffling percussive line drives this one forward, a funky guitar plucking away underneath. Poolroom.'s voice comes in a little after we've sunk our teeth into the instrumental, his Aussie accent delicately driving his soft voice forward. It later eventuates into a frenzy of synths, providing organised chaos that will leave you itching to get up and boogie.

The EP's single 'The Future' is up next, giving us low-end, fuzzed-out industrial vibes until his pitched-down vocal comes in with "take a trip to the future" and we're back to funky clarity. 'Coeliac Serenade' is up next, a beautifully sombre, stripped down ballad that allows his falsetto vocal to shine. The magic of this one is the balance struck between the vocal and the instrumental - they're not working to make one more visible, but rather they work together to create this gorgeous, blissed-out, late-night jam.

'High & Dry' pairs wonky keys with oddball rhythms, his voice dreamily floating atop the confident instrumental. 'Slow Down' edges us closer into psychedelia territory, the stoned tempo of the track allowing for Poolroom.'s echoed vocal to drive this one forward. A menagerie of synths and instrumentals blend in and out of one another to eventuate into a blissful, breakdown, complete with a guitar solo.

'Growing Pains' takes us on a dainty video game-esque journey, with pounding drums, driving synths and a ripper drop that bops us back in with his vocal.

The journey ends with 'Ripples', a finely tuned mix that pairs a wonky, chopped-up and syncopated guitar with sustained chords to create a juxtaposing pool of smoothness and sharpness. It's the perfect note to end the EP on, Poolroom. offering up nothing that's ever been heard before.

It's very obvious that Poolroom. thinks differently to any other artist. precious boi defies convention, rejects normality and emerges a triumphant, individual release that I can guarantee you'll be hitting play on again and again.

Photo by Haydon Fanning

Words by CAITLIN MEDCALF

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

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