Just when you thought your cuppa was getting cold, folk duo Texas Tea have released Sad Summer Hits, their third album following a four-year interval.
Kate Jacobson and Benjamin P. Dougherty are the musical talent behind the Brisbane-based outfit and have a gift for writing songs of love and heartache, mixed in with a little bit of cheekiness.
Guitar twangs and fluctuating tempos position this album as folk-inspired indie-rock and ‘I Don’t Write No Sad Songs’ is an excellent choice for the album’s leading single. The track infuses Dougherty’s charming drone with the rolling rhythms that the band are recognised for.
The most memorable moment on the record is ‘I Love You Like I Love This Black Eye’. The song is a gorgeous duet that accurately represents the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ qualities of Texas Tea whilst skilfully maintaining the wistful air that is a characteristic of their quieter tracks.
Jacobson allows her Australian accent to take hold at various points throughout the 12-track collection and is an obvious example of the way the band consciously endeavour to ‘Australianise’ the inspiration they take from American music.
Her voice ranges from seemingly delicate to devilishly strong and features as lead on the majority of the album’s tracklist. At times, hearing Jacobson’s voice becomes a little tiresome and the album would have benefited greatly by allowing more tracks to feature the husky semi-spoken vocal tones of Dougherty on lead vocals.
Fans already familiar with Texas Tea can expect a fuller sound than their previous efforts. The duo enlisted a rhythm section during the production of Sad Summer Hits and the album in its entirety is admittedly more narrative-focused. Make sure you listen all the way through.
