Since beginning as the solo project of Ivan Matthew Hicks in 2010, Brisbane outfit Amateur Childbirth have carved out a unique space for themselves in the world of DIY folk. Their music is deeply melancholic, but captivatingly so.
Now operating as a three-piece (rounded out by Nicholas Rowan and Benjamin Casey), the band have released their new double single Final Dust/Flowchart for Royal Incest, with a new music video for the latter. If you’re not already across this band, we recommend you change that now.
On their new double single Final Dust/Flowchart for Royal Incest, Brisbane-based outfit Amateur Childbirth will hollow you out with their raw DIY folk sounds.
Throughout the two new tracks, Ivan delivers his poetic lyricism in a monotone, distinctly-Australian drawl. With sparse percussion and stripped-back acoustic guitars, the perfect bed for his bleak vocal delivery is created. While the instrumentation is raw, it still feels expansive—it’s vast, and doesn’t really leave you much to grab onto.
This, however, is perhaps the music’s most endearing quality. You walk into it, stagger around, and walk out. Both Final Dust and Flowchart for Royal Incest are disturbingly direct, with each lyric wrenching at your stomach, but ultimately, you’ll be left with an unnerving sense of resolve. A strange weightlessness will inevitably emerge in your gut.
Final Dust and Flowchart for Royal Incest are the latest in a string of releases from Amateur Childbirth, and judging by the quality of everything we’ve heard so far, I think we can safely expect plenty more great material.
In the meantime, watch the new video for Flowchart for Royal Incest above, and grab yourself a copy of the new 7″ single here.
