- The fourth album from We All Want To is called On The Dots. It has been four years since their last one, and I reckon it’s their best yet - at least in regards to diversity and range of style and sound.
There's a sparser feel to many of the songs, not least with the almost ambient feel of the intro tune Get Your Pulse Back Down. Given that fans have waited so long for this next instalment, it’s almost like the band is telling them to chill their excitement a bit and relax their way into this new set, rather than being instantly tittilated with a bunch of punchy, hook-heavy indie-rock bangers.
We All Want To is most readily known for featuring Tim Steward, one of the vocalists and songwriters from legendary Brisbane outfit Screamfeeder. But the other band members all play critical roles here, and the fact that Skye Staniford contributes vocals and songs of her own is part of what gives the album such a good sense of variety.
Steward’s songwriting skills over so many years are sufficiently well recognised that he found himself the winner of Grant McLennan Fellowship award, which each year enables one Queensland songwriter to spend time in a northern hemisphere country immersing themselves in creative endeavours in a fresh and different environment. It was during his time in England as part of this Fellowship trip that Steward wrote his songs for this album, and he says he “ended up writing a lot about the boredom, monotony and small-stuff of everyday life.” The fact he can turn boredom and monotony into catchy tunes is a perfect demonstration of why Steward is recognised as such a great songwriter.
By contrast, Stanaford’s songs emerged from time on the south coast of NSW. Quote: “My songs came through in a time of loss and isolation.” Of course, the thing that makes a band -and especially an album- great is not the individuals but how they blend together. The album has plenty of songs which show this. One of the best is Come Home, Be Mine, which manages to be both ambient and catchy at the same time. Steward’s and Staniford’s harmonies show they are even better together than they are appear.
The first single from the album, Cotton, provided a catchy teaser in advance of the main course. I’d recommend you also taste Sugar in My Tea - presumably one the mundane aspects of English life which Steward found so inspirational and which also comes accompanied by a quirky video, for added value. We All Want To's On The Dots is out now and is being accompanied by a national tour. Right now, I am very much getting all the added value I need from We All Want To.
- Andrew Bartlett.