Music historians will know that rock is perhaps the most versatile genre, and Mellowtonic have proven just that with their debut, Holy Ghost.
While the four-track collection is bound by the staples of rock — and a particular flair for mesmeric guitar work — Mellowtonic possess a musical liberty tracing them from psychedelia to soft-metal, making Holy Ghost an exercise in free-wheeling diversity.
Holy Ghost opens with the surf rock of the title track. Coasting on a groovy baseline and summery feel — seemingly built for an afternoon bike ride — the opener might’ve fallen into the trap of clichéd indie tropes were it not for Mellowtonic’s eclecticism.
Adding further texture to the fuzzy grooves, Holy Ghost incorporates screechy electric guitars and a woozy vocal performance courtesy of bandmate Shea Kluwer.
What begins as a sunlit reverie later transforms into something more explosive, as Mellowtonic amp up the noise with a guitar solo and rapid-fire cadences.
Here, the track verges on nu-metal, with rap-like delivery that later seeps into more classic rock sounds. That energy of quintessential heavy rock continues on second track Gimmie Love, which recalls the likes of Led Zeppelin and Tool.
While those are big shoes to fill, Gimmie Love more than rises to the challenge, with rich instrumentation and percussion so punchy you’d think it was wearing boxing gloves.
Clashing cymbals and a gravelly vocal performance make Gimmie Love feel like a cathartic release, a feat helped along by Thisal Jayawardhena’s extended guitar solos seemingly ripped from a heaving mosh pit. Having mastered that grittier sound, Mellowtonic head to calmer waters on Swell.
Adorned in the warmth of acoustic guitar and Kluwer’s Matt Corby-like timbre, the track treds softer terrains without sacrificing all the head-banging revelry. The slow tempo makes way for more anthemic moments, with a soaring belt-out chorus detailing a romance gone cold.
“Dial my number baby,” Kluwer pines, “Lord knows it’s been a while.” The band’s lyricism is a shimmering throughline all throughout Holy Ghost, and nowhere is their vulnerability rawer than on final track Old Soul.
Marking the EP’s jazziest entry yet, the bluesy groover might feel at home in a speakeasy or a spaghetti western; a sound that proves essential to the band’s reflections on being “a mess” and “thinkin’ bout you.”
A tender message of self-love, Old Soul serves as a worthy culmination of Holy Ghost’s delivery of both style and substance.
The EP adds to an already triumphant year for Mellowtonic, who completed a five-week residency at The Epsy and a headline show at The Workers Club.
The Melbourne five-piece has plans for their first run of interstate shows next year, but in the meantime, listen to Mellowtonic’s debut EP Holy Ghost below.
