This week saw the long awaited debut album from down under Indie starlets Search For Yeti. On the back of three very differing singles comes this ten song collection. The album opens with “Alice” with gentle swathes of noise, not unlike something from Joy Division, before dissolving into a guitar-led winding chord structure and a Peter Hook-esque bass part from Vincent. Gentle measured vocals then come to the fore on this New Order-inspired number.
A Hooky bridge is just the prelude as the vocals engage and grow stronger. I’m guessing it’s a song of the aftermath of relationship fallout and moving on to better things,,, there’s a line: “what a time to be alive” which just resonates with the positivity within the song. A great opener…
“Fragment” follows with a gentle acoustic guitar part and simple drum tapping. Once again the subject matter is in the personal ballpark. I’m somehow reminded of “The Electric Soft Parade” before the song takes a weird departure towards the end, softening vocally and fading out to nothing,,,
“Fear of Drowning” needs no introduction – arguably the most upbeat of their recent singles with its breezy, Summery vibe. Lyrically and musically mature for a band in the early stages of their career. It just has that great Indie vibe that makes you want put it on repeat whether in the car on a long journey, or just chillin’ at home.
“Out To Dry” is delivered almost spoken word with more than a nod to Tim Booth (James). Ostensibly a love song it is accompanied by Sean’s gentle drum brushing. Mid-song the electric guitars kick in and the song elevates somewhat making it a composition of two halves. The SFY sound we have all got used to then makes itself known as the song and its heartfelt chorus comes to the fore. A late bridge with a clever chord structure beefs it up somewhat before once again drifting slowly away with a piano-led ending. It’s experimental in the extreme but not lost on this collection.
“A Cold Wind” begins with a beautiful acoustic guitar part and an almost whispered vocal. It’s very much a song written about one’s surroundings I guess, with once again another nod to the personal. Nothing more to say really; soft, gentle, mid-album lovesong.
Track six is nameless – it’s one of those mid-album lyric-less musical pieces that welcomes track seven “End of Days” in a kind of a mash-up. “End of Days” is albeit faster, more upbeat and shows their experimental side again and I’m hearing a nod to “The Alarm”. Luke’s vocals have that Mike Peters passion while layering at intervals.
“What You Mean To Me” is still the best single I have heard from a (relatively) new band in years. Doffing its cap ever so slightly to Teenage Fanclub it’s classic early 90’s Indie/Pop. Simple lyrics, great guitar lines and singalong choruses – what’s not to like?! It even has the classic sharp finale.
“The One” is an altogether change of direction. Slow, considered vocal entrance matched to a lumbering, fuzzy guitar pattern. The echo in the background is paired with the stretched guitar chords and clever percussion. The Norman Blake-inspired vocals continue from WYMTM on this slower, dreamy number. At nearly six minutes duration it appears overlong when maybe four would suffice. I’ll hazard a guess the band had recently been listening to “Carnival of Light”-era Ride?
To end the album is debut single “Red”. It has that chiming, mesmerising guitar sound with gentle percussion in the background. Again those almost whispered lyrics from Luke set the mood for the following seven minutes, The unintentional borrowing of the chimes from Bauhaus “Bela Lugosi” are apparent mid-song while the vocals fall into Martin Grech territory. The way the song just evaporates at the end with the cymbal and chimes is mildly haunting…
As debut’s go this is a decent body of work from this trio. Not afraid to wear their influences firmly on their sleeves they seem adept at borrowing form their peers and making something beautiful all their own. With three singles in the bag and now this ten song Lp it’s time for them to get on a big support tour, get their music out to a wider audience and climb to the next level. With the experimentation I hear in some of these songs I feel there’s more to come from this trio, they are the sum of their parts and the future definitely looks bright.
Track Listing
Alice
Fragment
Fear of Drowning
Out To Dry
A Cold Wind
…
End of Days
What You Mean To Me
The One
Red
Band members
Luke Marlow – Lead Guitar/Bass/Keys
Vincent Waide – Bass/Backing Vocals/Guitars/Lap Steel/Mandolin/Bouzouki/Dulcimer/Banjo/Keys/Moog Taurus 111 Bass Pedals
Sean Barker – Drums/Backing Vocals/Percussion/Keys
Purchase the album here.
Links
https://www.searchforyeti.nz
https://www.facebook,com/searchforyeti
https://instagram.com/searchforyeti
Review by Ross A. Ferrone.
