- Brisbane band Terra Pines (formerly known as Tall Pines) has brought sludgepop to the forefront with their self-titled, debut album. After their debut EP Munchausen, a sharp, three song collection of short, snappy tracks dictating the apocalyptic demise of the future, their debut LP is much more lighthearted in theme, but delivers much more of the same musicality.
Opening track Extreme Handshakes sets the tone for the rest of the record. Sludgy guitar and hard-hitting drums form the meat of the track, while vague vocals linger in the background like an afterthought; they’re more the cherry on top rather than the cream in the cake. Kidult throws you back to the post-punk era, featuring obvious pop odes such as fun, driving bass lines, simple but effective harmonies and repetitive guitar riffs, combined with static solos and vocals worked low into the mix; creating a disjointed, ominous feeling of unease and inevitable obliteration – much like on their EP.
The same scratchy guitar lines follow you through the record like a creepy shadow you keep imagining on your walk home from the train station late at night; always in your peripheral vision, stalking you, waiting for their best chance to strike. Others is commanded by these subtle guitar licks, crackling in your ears like the hiss of a flame, before building into an instrumental break that breaks like a house fire, engulfing every last morsel in its path.
Understated at times, lead singer Kelly Hanlon’s vocals can become lost in the mix, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Just when you think you’re losing her to the tidal wave of music, she resurfaces like a lifeguard to bring you back above the rippling waves. The lighter tone in her vocals is what differentiates this record to the EP, the softness is a great counter to the heavy musicality.
The combination of upbeat amusement and inescapable fear gives Terra Pines a real edge in today’s scene. Like a jump scare in a horror film, they have you sitting right on the edge of your seat, waiting in terror for what’s to come next – sludgepop, grungegaze; you name it they’ll make it. Masters at the ol’ genre combination, Terra Pines are here to abolish your preconceptions about what music should sound like – and to provide the soundtrack for the next movie about a destroyed dystopian future.
- Olivia Shoesmith.