MUSIC REVIEW: December 2022 Roundup
Here’s a roundup of a bunch of local 2022 December music releases to start off the new year on a good foot. You should definitely check them all out and chuck ‘em on repeat to get them on your 2023 Spotify Wrapped.
Enjoy the sunshine (or snow, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere) with these new NZ tunes and support local up-and-coming musicians!
In this roundup: (use these links to skip through)
Genre-crazy wildcards:
THE RVMES – SIMPLE THINGS [ALBUM]
Simple Things is a genre charcuterie board. Experimenting with a ton of different styles, this album gives an interesting look at how a band can possibly bring the broad variety of their inspirations together.
I enjoyed the quick genre variation in the track listing – the first three tracks move from punk to anthem to surf rock in succession – and especially found that it showcases the band’s proficiency in their instruments. But the key moments for me are when RVMES use two genres in one song, such as the math rock and folk combination of ‘Lion’s Mane’. I’m reminded of the first time I tried blue cheese and honey together.
‘What’s Troublin’ You’ is easily the standout track in my opinion, sounding like a classic 70s soft rock track out the gate – all instruments have catchy hooks, and it’s the most glued together that The RVMES sound on the album. I’d like to highlight Edwin’s singing on this track – his dynamics are delicately placed and altered throughout the song, and while the earlier track, ‘Who Shot The Moon’, better demonstrates his vocal strength, I feel that this song shows his expert control.
The biggest strength of the instrumentation is how strong of a base each song has. The song structure, the timbre, the interplay – each song has the ability to show me something new (genre-mashup) which provides a cozy familiarity that never gets boring When I listen, I know where to expect a breakdown, a B-section or a solo – the joy is found in not knowing how RVMES will perform it. Notably, when the funk section hits at 2:54 of ‘Outta My Head’ I was caught wildly off guard in the best way possible.
Ultimately, Simple Things is a quality album that showcases The RVMES as excellent songwriters and genre-switching wildcards - though, I do wonder what would happen if they decided to stick to one style. Definitely chuck ‘What’s Troublin’ You’ on a summer playlist, and keep your eye on what they do this year, it’s bound to be good.
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Listen to Simple Things on Bandcamp, Spotify, or Apple Music.
Dreamscape Nostalgia:
LANĘ - ALCHEMY [EP]
Lanę has an incredibly unique approach to songwriting, with each of these 5 tracks demonstrating a concise direction that paints delicate pictures of experiences you may not have even had. It’s a fresh musical project that you should float in your earphones during a quiet night in.
Brett Shaw’s production is incredibly minimalist overall, with the bare instrumentation only there to elevate Lanę’s lyricism and delivery. I’m blown away by how atmospheric the entire EP is; I felt that I was sitting in a small-venue show the entire listening session, only emphasized by the inclusion of an actual live performance as the closing track.
‘Muscle Memory’ is the track that resonated with me the most. The soft guitar arpeggio and soft piano provide a firm ambience around incredibly evocative lyrics - “cigarette ash on a plain white tee / sticky skin in the summer heat” - I don’t know how such a simple sentence instantly takes me to a memory I’ve never had. Special mention to how Lana holds the word “found” at 3:10 - the soft vibrato carrying an ambiguous emotional weight to the lengthy note. The soft piano taps nearing the end of the song are also a welcome addition, and Shaw introduces similar textural instrument parts subtly within every track to provide a delicate ambience unique to each song and it’s story. It’s excellent work from both artist and producer across the board.
Lanę also released two other singles in December [while I had Covid], which are ‘Lake Michigan’ and ‘Bad Weather’ - both can be found on her Bandcamp. All this quality output hints at exciting things to come from this musical project over 2023, and I definitely think you ought to keep your eye out if you’re a fan of alternative folk music.
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Listen to the Alchemy EP on Bandcamp.
Not-a-phase:
UNDERSCORE – TELL ME / OUT OF TIME [Double Single]
Underscore arrive after a brief hiatus with a pop-punk double feature: ‘Tell Me’ and ‘Out of Time’. If you miss posting on MySpace and dying your side fringe, you’ll probably quite like these two tracks.
You can tell that ‘Out of Time’ has been written with 00s pop-punk in the band’s hearts- a track complete with half-whined vocals, muted down picking, and heavy-hitting drums. The main guitar riff is incredibly catchy, and I’ve been humming it ever since I first heard it. The delivery of “Since nineteen / you’re the only thing I’ve been thinking about / since nineteen / since nineteen” is such classic pop-punk melodic phrasing that I felt like I just booted up SingStar Amped.
‘Tell Me’ is an equally solid track in composition and songwriting, but presents more like a hard indie rock tune rather than the slamming pop-punk piece that it’s craving to be. I enjoyed the spoken off-bar delivery of “To the path of most friction / my conviction is..” in the second verse. I also loved hearing how the band interacts during the instrumental B-section, with the drum & bass fills being my personal highlight.
Returning from their hiatus, Underscore very clearly have a precise vision of the music they want to make, and they’re landing on it without any nervousness. To my ears, I feel that ‘Out of Time’ is the stronger track of the two, with songwriting and presentation that could fit right into Spotify’s Emo Forever playlist. I should go buy some ripped skinny jeans and eyeliner.
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Listen to both Tell Me & Out of Time on Bandcamp or Spotify.
Polished pop:
RACHEL LEO – LAST CALL [Single]
Rachel Leo’s sophomore single release ‘Last Call’ is a tightly produced piece of pop music that really deserves some more airplay. Recounting what sounds like a pretty shitty night out finding about a pretty shitty ex-partner, the track takes cues from the recent disco-pop revival (see: Dua Lipa) and delivers a shine-polished version of the sound over its 3-minute runtime.
Every part of the track fits snugly together like a new Lego set. I think it’s the shaker and the cowbell hiding in the swung drum groove which reminds me of a classic 90s/00s dance hit, but it’s definitely the 909 open hat audible at 0:45 that seals the vibe for me – though the modern bass and guitar lines/chords keep it far away from the cheesiness of classic Eurodance.
Leo’s voice expertly soars over the track – particularly, her vocal runs over the second bridge are elegantly delivered around the main lyrics – and showcase her vocal talents while keeping the track’s energy high. The various “nah-nah-nah”-s and “oooohhh”-s that bounce around the channels show a feel for how a modern pop vocal should sound.
In terms of the mix, I love how deep the guitar is in the background most of the time, being treated more as a textural element (except after the first chorus at 1:12) is a really tasty decision. I also like that, during the verse & bridge, the claps on the 2 and 4 are capstoned every 16 bars with a *clap-clap* on the ‘and-4’ – a subtle call back to classic dance tracks without becoming one.
Leo’s career is only just starting out, but I reckon that she’s on a fast track upwards in NZ pop. Eventually one of her tracks will likely become so well-known that it’ll wind up as Studylink hold music in a decade or so; where all the ubiquitous NZ pop hits show up eventually.
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Watch the new music video here, and listen to Last Call on Spotify or Apple Music.
Sunshine alternative:
ODDS AND ENDS – BETTER DAYS [Single]
The latest track from Dutch-Kiwi indie band Odds & Ends feels like a warm sunbeam during an afternoon nap, displaying a resilient optimism against a really chaotic time to be living in. Aldershof, Meyer, and Earnshaw have done an excellent job conveying unwavering optimism, subverting the standard ‘sad-boy-in-small-town’ vibe we’ve come to know from local indie rock.
The sugary sweetness of the lyrics gets into every corner of the song: the wildly fuzzed-out guitar sounds excited for life as it rings out during the solo, especially when paired next to the half-time drum breakdown (It’s a really solid guitar solo). I don’t know how they took genre conventions from angsty music and made it sound like ‘Here Come The Sun’, but they managed, and it’s a boss move.
Big-ups to whoever included the “OOOOOooooo” swinging from left to right at 1:09 – I really like it but can’t explain why. It’s just… nice. I love the bass guitar fill at 2:32 as well.
This song matches NZ summer, and is sure to fit snugly amongst a beach day playlist or similar. I can’t help but wonder whether the vibe will land the same once the temperature starts to go down and the trees start to go bare. I guess we’ll have to wait a few more months to see!
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