On Here Come The Normal Kids, Victorian artists Sam Sully flits from shoegaze to post-punk, spinning yarns on youth and existentialism.
Sam Sully has realised an expansive creative vision on Here Come The Normal Kids, an indie rock odyssey that was produced, recorded and performed entirely by the Victorian musician himself.
Across 18 tracks, Sully flits from shoegaze to post-punk and folk, as anchored by an ear for indie stylings and flair for humorous yet incisive storytelling.
Sully’s wordsmithing is immediately apparent on album opener Dinosaurs, an existential spiral where the singer predicts the coming of a “flood” that sees humanity “join the dinosaurs in the mud.”
Waxing philosophical on the perilousness of our times, Sully pairs his searing observations with a shoegaze sound, punctuated by panning and distorted vocals and rustic guitar strums.
The result feels like something of a psychedelic reverie, with nihilistic lyrics and an uplifting bridge making Dinosaurs both heartwarming and thought-provoking.
Sully opts for spoken-word delivery on second track I’m A Believer, which coasts on tinkling keys and punchy drum moments. There’s a blissful sparseness to the production here, as Sully’s vocals dissipate into an echoey soundscape and harmonies ascend toward a fading, lullaby-like outro.
Delivering a slow waltz on Chemical Love, Sully sings of romantic meet-cutes with a rawer timbre while spotlighting groovy guitar sections. Later, on The Prince of The Lexington, Sully dips his toe into poppier sounds with euphonic success.
Initially adorned in twangy strings, the track is soon drenched in electric reverb, which sees Sully toe the line between heady synth-pop and staple shoegaze .
Sully heads to more light-hearted corners on Blue Suedes, which sees the musician recite dance instructions amid modern flairs like the tinkle of a cowbell and a sample from the musical Oliver!.
So diverse is Sully’s palette that he’s able to flit between genres with confidence, to the point where you’d think he’d run out of sounds to explore.
Forest Temple is a whimsical yet haunting interlude seemingly ripped from the Coraline soundtrack, while We Go Hard evokes the surfy fuzz rock of The Beach Boys meets Dune Rats.
On Strange World, Sully delivers the kind of country folk you’d hear in a spaghetti western, before Coded Temple ushers in the album’s moment of sonic ambience.
Just as expansive as Sully’s sound is the lyrics and stories he uses to flesh it out. The soft-spoken Don’t Worry All The Time muses on the importance of nonchalance while Old Lady Legs recounts a summertime walk as a metaphor for the passage of time.
Elsewhere, on penultimate track Stumbling, Sully reflects on the many roads that led him here, sketching images of streetlights, tramlines and hot summer nights so vivid you just know they’re drawn from his own psyche.
Sully’s efforts culminate on albums closer I Quit My Job, a fittingly expansive entry carried by brooding piano and the singer’s most commanding vocals yet.
With its ethereal synth sections and rock flairs, I Quit My Job concludes Sully’s odyssey through both sound and story, bookending one of the most engrossing indie releases of this year.
Joining the project is the double-release of Did You Mention Another Dimension Volume 1 (Hypothetical Scores), which serves as a purely instrumental accompaniment to Here Come The Normal Kids.
Listen to both projects below, and head here to find Sam Sully on social media.
