For the last couple of years there has been a real jangle-pop shaped hole in Sydney’s music scene, leaving us all pretty thirsty for chorus soaked guitars, washed out synths, and ultra-riffy bass lines – so it was a real treat when Felix Lush released his debut EP State Of Mind.
Claire And The Cops veteran Felix Lush jingles your idea of jangle pop on his debut EP State Of Mind
Looking beyond the dreamy power pop overtones that we’ve all come to know and love from projects like Wild Nothing, Craft Spells and Beach Fossils, my first reaction was to make ultra-hip connections to new romanticism.
But, Lush’s sultry bass lines pair with some tasteful programmed percussion in this EP, which had me digging through my closet for any 80s-UK-South-Coast DIY I could find.
Before this solo venture, Lush was part of Sydney garage outfit, Claire And The Cops. This history comes as no surprise when listening to State Of Mind.
Lush doesn’t hesitate to step on a few effects pedals during the recording process, and there is no shortage of crunch throughout the EP, with special mention to the closing track It’s There which has the same breed of unrehearsed, honest, and semi-self-indulgent power that ends Joy Division’s Closer.
Claire And The Cops had an incredibly hooky garage appeal that Sydney’s scene welcomed with open arms, and their tunes sat well as a happy medium between Failure and The Black Angels. Now, Lush (who was the band’s guitar, and vocals) has carried a bit of the vibe from the good ol’ days, and channeled it into something much more refined.
An incredibly sweet side to jangle pop has been captured in this EP, with the use of some pretty gorgeous 70s bass lines complemented by ultra tight drum machines. We haven’t really had much of a chance to enjoy this combination of slick, and grimy since Indifferent Dance Centre released Flight And Pursuit in 1981.
Vocally, Lush ranges from a gentle New Order timbre (particularly on the title track) through to a perfect balance of apathy and emotion, similar to what you’d find on one of your dad’s Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers records.
Jangle/power pop artists have been known to be a little heavy handed on the reverb at times; refreshingly, Lush has dialed it back leaving us with crisp lyrics, and allowing his natural talent for writing catchy vocal melodies to shine.
As far as debut releases go, State Of Mind is an absolute banger. The songs are as diverse as they are dreamy and if this is what we can expect from the future of Lush’s solo career then put me on the damn mailing list!
