<span><span><span>- Across his debut EP, Brisbane dream-pop producer RINSE feels wholly in his element. Here he channels his work from previous bands, expanding his sound in a stargazing fashion.</span></span></span>
<span><span><span>Prior to forming RINSE as his solo project, </span><strong>Joe Agius</strong><span> fronted Brisbane rock band </span><strong>The Creases</strong><span>. So much more than just the landfill variety indie pop-rock that so many bands of their nature fall into, their eventual debut </span><em>Tremelow</em><span>, released in 2017, took refreshing inspiration from emo-tinged, jangle-pop of </span><strong>Wilco</strong><span> and the sunshine pop of </span><strong>Kylie Minogue</strong><span>.</span></span></span>
<span><span><em>Back Into Your Arms</em><span>, </span><em>Wherever I Am’s</em><span> folky opening track, feels most indebted to Agius’ work with The Creases. It buzzes with a tantalising, nostalgic charm that also invokes the deep cuts of </span><strong>Hatchie</strong><span>, who, incidentally, RINSE plays guitar for and who, in turn, contributes vocals to this song. Don’t be fooled by the romantic, yearning lyrics here, this is actually a breakup song; and in turn, even the bittersweetness may be misleading, because after the release of this song RINSE and Hatchie became engaged.</span></span></span>
<span><span><span>Musically, </span><em>Without You</em><span> and the following track </span><em>What Hell I’m In</em><span>, burst with a retro aesthetic, squeezed tightly into dirging guitars and shimmering keys. This section of the EP thematically grounds itself in the same territory as the dusty, folk-filtered, dream-pop of the </span><strong>The Jesus And Mary Chain</strong><span>. </span><em>Without You</em><span> is fit to soundtrack a morning drive on a burning hot highway. Had it come out during the era it seeks inspiration from, it would be just as fitting on the score to that flirtatious yet twisted film </span><em>My Own Private Idaho</em><span>.</span></span></span>
<span><span><span>The EP’s first half is a stark contrast to its second. To again compare RINSE to The Jesus And Mary Chain -for the final time, I promise!- </span><em>Wherever I Am </em><span>begins sounding like their underrated </span><em>Stoned & Dethroned </em><span>record, but later transitions into a more </span><em>Darklands</em><span>, </span><em>Psychocandy </em><span>musing.</span></span></span>
<span><span><span>On </span><em>Trust In Me</em><span>, my personal favourite track from the EP, Agius fuses his singer-songwriter sensibilities with the dagger-like, harshness of </span><strong>My Bloody Valentine</strong><span>. Waves of noise ripple and pull, taking nothing from his vision, yet creating one hell of a spectacle.</span></span></span>
<span><span><span>Wherever RINSE finds himself and as the EP’s title makes apparent, he’s grounded with good influences and even greater music. For as much as this EP shifts sound, it comes together feeling vibrant and riveting: the work of someone inspired.</span></span></span>
<span><span><span>- Sean Tayler.</span></span></span>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=917194504/size=large/bgcol=ff…; seamless><a href="https://rinse.bandcamp.com/album/wherever-i-am">Wherever I Am by RINSE</a></iframe>