As a name, Dirt Farmer seems unfitting for the music these five Melbourne boys create; there’s nothing dirty about what’s going on here. On their debut EP, Dirt Farmer disregard the scuzzier aspects of rock and roll, and focus their attention directly on candy-coloured hooks.
‘Kick It’ bounces along inoffensively. ‘Johnny Marble’ is instantly engaging, and if it weren’t for the vocal hook being lifted directly from a Desert Sessions-turned-Queens of the Stone Age track; the song would stand as a perfect example of breezy rock and roll. Elsewhere, Stuart Barlow’s vocal hooks are engaging, as in the chorus’ of both ‘Real Young’ and ‘Showgirl’.
The bright pastoral tones in the production add a deft touch to the EP; slight harmonicas, horns, guitar flourishes and a myriad of compelling vocal harmonies assert Dirt Farmer’s penchant for well-crafted pop songs. If there were anything to accuse the band of, it would be the lack of danger throughout the EP. Barlow’s airy voice doesn’t lend itself to rock and roll’s harder edges, and as such Dirt Farmer come across as overwhelmingly polite.
Not that this is at their detriment, this is an EP of instantly gratifying breezy summer hits. It’s just a shame that winter is coming.
