The self-titled debut EP from New Saxons is simple, energetic, and straight-forward guitar pop filled with riffs and catchy choruses.
The four songs are bouncy and enthusiastic, led by jangly guitars and driving bass that build to infectious choruses, and new single ‘Crocodile Tears’ is undeniable good fun from the Tasmanian trio.
The tune looks back at past relationships, and chief songwriter Tim Green’s growling and powerful voice dominates throughout the verses before quickly breaking into an infectious chorus, and while the lyrics are somewhat cliche, it’s all harmless good-fun.
The EP has the certain effortlessly raw charm of three friends just jamming in their garage, while also possessing a polished edge production-wise, with New Saxons looking to Scott Horscroft (The Presets, The Panics) at Forgotten Valley Studio in Sydney for mixing duties.
Opener ‘Is It True’ is a classic story of unrequited love backed by duelling guitars, while ‘Strangers’ is a somewhat forgettable track in the same vein as the opener.
The EP is somewhat lacking that extra layer or dynamic to separate it from the abundance of similar acts, and the four tracks are all quite similar, but this isn’t that great a problem when it’s only a four-track EP.
New Saxons save the best until last, with closer ‘Teenager’ being easily the most enjoyable and promising moment from the three-piece. Filled with quirky lyrics and eclectic instrumentation, it’s plain to see why it’s already become a fan-favourite and received some love on Triple J and Unearthed.
Comparisons to acts such as Vampire Weekend are inevitable, both in terms of lyrics and style, but the Hobart trio manage to put their own spin on it to create ‘Teenager’.
New Saxons’ debut EP is a promising start which will hopefully be built upon and developed in further releases.
