Brisbane’s Art Of Sleeping deliver a slick, refined EP of indie folk goodness on their new release, Like A Thief.
The Australian folk-rock scene has been thriving in recent years with the likes of Boy And Bear and Husky achieving huge success in this country, as well as making inroads internationally.
On their latest release, The Art Of Sleeping clearly display their ability to follow in the footsteps of these heralded acts.
Opening track ‘Empty Hands’, the band’s breakthrough single, introduces Caleb Hodge’s powerful, soaring vocals, with the catchy, and emotive chorus, “Love me like a heartbeat / With your long hair and your cold feet”, creating a mellow, atmospheric affair.
Hodges’ vocals are undeniably strong and are the driving force in the majority of the tracks.
‘Shoulders’ lets his voice shine, slowly building to a layered finish featuring jittery guitars and pounding drumming from Jean-Paul Malengret.
‘Above The Water’ opens with breezy acoustic guitar and subtle electric guitar lines, revolving around a broken relationship between a father and son, the tragic and heart-felt lyrics contrast with the dreamy instrumentation.
Lines such as “Keep your head above water / And leave us to drown in your dust” and “Your son needs a father / Not a ghost” are sung with genuine emotion.
The EP is not revolutionary by any means. In fact it closely follows the already proven template for a successful indie-folk release of late in Australia, with the soaring, catchy choruses, emotional vocals, and restrained guitar lines that we’ve seen in abundance in recent times.
In saying that, it is a worthy addition and will no doubt see the four-piece from Brisbane find further, deserved, success.
