REVIEWS

Welcome to Space Beach. Self-dubbed Flowerkraut collective Mandrake Handshake share debut LP ‘Earth-Sized Worlds’ and ring in a new age of psych-soaked avant-pop. 

From slick, squelchy opener ‘Time Goes Up’ to the last notes of mighty and triumphant closing title-track, ‘Earth-Sized Worlds’ sees Mandrake Handshake flex their various creative compulsions.  By incorporating varying sonic textures including, but not limited to, steel drums, choirs, drum machines and obscure percussion, the 7 to 10 member strong collective creates a vast kaleidoscopic soundscape. As rich in experimentation as it is in its varying influences, the album makes for a truly unpredictable listening experience where cosmic krautrock meets shimmering pop that dissolves into hypnotic chaos. 

‘Earth-Sized Worlds’ marks a debut perfectly capturing the essence of the formidable Lotan that is Mandrake Handshake. A seismic shift in the Krautrock scene, characterised by sonic explosions, changing colours and permeable atmospheres.

On 30th January, rising indie rockers Balancing Act played an inmate but mighty show at North Shield’s Three Tanners Bank for Independent Venue Week.

Songs about love are very hard to get right - too often they end up being too sappy or not quite emotive enough. It’s a fine art, finding the perfect balance. One artist who has mastered this elusive art of writing about love is Matilda Mann. New EP ‘Dazed & Confused’ does just that: Capturing love in its myriad forms, somehow transforming the exact feelings of each interaction into striking soundscapes. 

In true Matilda Mann fashion, the five tracks are strikingly eloquent. Taking on the form of emotional deep cuts, they give a first taste of what to expect from upcoming debut album ‘Roxwell’ and most definitely fuel a hunger for more.

Grunge has a new name; it’s Lizzie Esau. The band have released a brand new EP to ring in the witching season and it couldn’t be more fitting. 

‘She’s a Scorpio’ opens the EP with an anthemic chorus and defiant attitudes leading into the hushed tones of  ‘A Secret’ that can only be described as an ASMR coded cliff hanger - It definitely left us wanting more… But standout moment on the record is without a doubt political sucker punch ‘Wait Too Late’: Carried by a powerful undercurrent of buzzing guitars, the track evokes images of the nation-wide protests we’ve seen over the last few months. Urgency building and building and building into a final cry for change. We love to see artists using their voice and this EP is a solid statement of intent that Lizzie Esau can and will do both - the personal and the political kind of songwriting. 

“You were right about me, I’m just a sad clown” and “I’ll probably be in therapy until I die” are only a couple of the instantly impactful, instantly iconic one liners alt-pop visionary Chløë Black drops on comeback EP ’Strange Little Bird’. After 3 years of radio silence, the songstress returns with a stunning collection of introspective singles diving into the depth of her trauma. But it’s not just the trauma bonding that makes this EP highly loopable, with a refined sonic palette a la MARINA, Lana, RAYE, and the sultry vocals to match, Chløë has created a record that may well be timeless.