Christchurch-based singer-songwriter is officially the third artist this year to crack a very specific list among everything I’ve been listening to this year
Flute. Why’d it have to be flute.
Opening title track “My Friends” is at least a little more selective about how and when it deploys (the accursed) flute. The sickly-sweet opener gives way to rocker “One Dollar Wednesdays”, an upbeat alt-folk track that would make everyone from Arcade Fire to Bright Eyes jealous. It leads in to “The Bench”, another high speed rocker that sounds straight from the Flying Nun back catalogue (in a good way).
The album slows down a bit from there; “Wait For Me” is a little more downbeat, though features a fantastic vocal. Mid-album tracks “Rachel” and “Pudding And Pie” pile on the ambience before the album heads back to the realms of acoustic guitar folk.
I went into this album with absolutely no expectations; I’d not heard Mousey before. And I’ll be honest, I was concerned as that opening title track came to a close (honestly, why’d it have to be flute). But I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this one. I really enjoyed the more upbeat material in the first half of the record, and while I wasn’t as hot on the second half of the record, it at least shows Mousey’s flexibility and ability to write a decent tune. Good album.
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CLTM (Chris Listens To Music) is my attempt to listen to a new album every day; you can follow my efforts on Instagram here (and send recommendations), and if you like what I’m doing, support my efforts by shouting me a cuppa at Buy Me A Coffee.