- The Harpoons are about to release their sophomore album Amaro. Although the Melbourne four piece are well versed in the realms of pop, the new album is going in a decidedly more EDM-inflected direction. The result is a impeccable fusion of pop and dance sensibilities.
Pressure is a beautiful start to the album. It’s a rather sultry, subdued number that really shows off the vocals of lead singer Bec Rigby. Do You Want My Love is a stone-cold classic in my books. I’ve listened this track into submission, becoming instantly obsessed upon its release as a single in 2017. It's a total house banger that crescendos nicely, building to a great peak, then delivering. Set Me Up To Fall is another anthemic house track. Smooth chords are coupled with a thumping bass line and Rigby’s inimitable vocals. That classic house piano sound comes in for the final chorus.
By the third track I was sold on this album! Amour is a tremendous slow jam, soulful and funky. Girl is another solid rnb jam. To Be Loved By You goes into new-jack swing territory a la Groove Theory. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised by the largely instrumental song Through the Water.
Reassurance is a great, UK Garage influenced dancefloor track. It’s got those shuffley drums with snappy interplay between male and female vocals. How Many Nights is another 2-step banger.
Sonically, the album isn’t that wild (is that a DX7?). That being said, the masterful incorporation of acoustic instruments should also be mentioned. The saxophone or guitar never seems or of place. Often the material alludes to older styles of house and rnb, but the band aren't weighed down or confined by their references. At the end of the day it comes down to the songs themselves and nothing here fails to live up to expectations anything less than effortlessly. For a band taking such an expectedly different direction it's all the more surprsing. Polished and refined, Amaro is an accomplished album.
- Hillfolk.