Album Review: The April Maze - Sleeping Storm

This British-Australian coupling makes for a fascinating and ear-pleasing listen.

The gentle folk-rock of Sivan Agam and Todd Mayhew lilts along on their third album, and as powerful as the sparse arrangements here are, they’re tempered with some voracious moments of drama and even jubilant candour. The title track ebbs and flows with Agam’s Florence Welch-like vocal and searing cellos, Scout Hall’s banjo plucks and raw She & Him harmonising are twee but evocative, and Homeland’s gentle march and resonating accompaniment is like a bush ballad, one of the album’s brightest sparks. Exciting storytelling and confident musical exploration.