The Australian eight-piece surpass expectations and deliver an instant classic on eponymous The Summertimes.
Every now and then, a relatively young band comes along and delivers a debut album so exceptional that you’re forced to check their catalogue for earlier traces of brilliance.
Then, you come to find that, with only sparse material to their name, perhaps the band were just born virtuosos, certain of their sound a mere moments into their first trip to the studio.
That’s exactly the case for The Summertimes, whose resplendent debut self-titled album possesses the assuredness of a band ten years’ their senior.
Anchored by evocative melodies, poppy hooks and cerebral storytelling, The Summertimes arrives with an all-encompassing grasp of rock in all its forms, from surf-pop jams like opener Inside to the fuzzy doo-wop harmonies of My Beautiful Girl Harbour. The tracklist is elsewhere littered with instant classics, in what the kids might call a no-skip album.
Whether they’re flexing their mastery of true-blue Australian rock on White Pointer or dipping into folksier, string-adorned corners on Where The Light Hits The Square, the eight-piece maximise their diverse talents — from Ashely Naylor’s trump to Marco Forlano’s violin — in what can only be described as remarkable debut effort.
For their part, vocalist David Beniuk and guitarist David Challenger wrote much of The Summertimes’ tracklist, with the ARIA-award winning Paul McKercher tackling the glistening production.
The starry list of collaborators is echoed in the album’s sonic diversity, though The Summertimes shine brightest on the guitar-led entries. The album has rightfully garnered praise from international publications, as well as from The Summertimes’ musical peers.
“The Summertimes got the Power, they got the Pop,” You Am I frontman Tim Rogers said in a press statement. “Frantic and wide eyed, I wouldn’t trust ‘em with scissors, but I want ‘em to play my party.”
Boasting the sound of classic Australiana, The Summertimes deserves a place among the country’s icons from Midnight Oil to Powderfinger, which — especially for a debut album — is all the encouragement you need to go ahead and listen now.
Go on, before swathes of rightful fans claim one of Australia’s most promising bands as their own. Listen to The Summertimes’ new self-titled album below.
