Brisbane boys Morning Harvey have released their debut EP Well For Wishes after two years together, and a little more astoundingly, after releasing five demos in 2011, the first year they stood united as a band.
Citing both local and international influences such as Hoodoo Gurus and The Sunnyboys, through to Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols, there’s no getting around it, the five-piece are out to make a rock release, and they certainly give it a good old crack.
The opening track, “Sundown” is contrary to its title, in that it does not signify the five piece’s early fading, but rather opens the EP with swelling sound and is the first hind of a coastal, on-the-open-road kind of feel, which is maintained throughout the album.
“Don’t Try It,” then continues to build on the pace and sheer loudness of the opener, with suitably purring lyrics as accompaniment.
Both these tracks have been released previously as singles, so it’s not until the EP’s midpoint that listeners get a taste of Morning Harvey’s latest creations, and whether or not this fact is known is irrelevant, because you can hear it.
From the robust, echoing opening chords, “Foolproof” proves itself to be a strong, engaging track, which has benefited from the band’s increased maturity. The vocals and their confessional tone sound more natural and less contrived then in the opening two tracks.
The same is true of penultimate song “Well For Wishes,” which declares, “this could only mean so much,” from beginning to end, but what it lacks in lyrical diversity it makes up for with rousing, heaving and clearly skilled finale.
The closer, “Graves” may be more etymologically appropriate as a finishing track, though in sound it is energizing and spirited, and concludes the EP with an optimism about what else is to come from Morning Harvey. However, the end of “Graves” should have been afforded more indulgence, as it disappears into the nothingness disappointingly fast, and much too sharply.
