Owners of perhaps one of the most literal band names ever, Ginger and Drum have been kicking some genuine goals these last few years. The Sydney-based duo have gone through various genre and line-up changes over the last three years as they have carefully perfected their craft. Their previous single Ticking Boxes showed a lot of promise for a band who had begun to carve out their sound. With the new single Habit we see Ginger and Drum settling into that groove, the arena of indie-electro pop now their playground.
Going from strength to strength, Sydney duo Ginger and Drum show plenty of growth and maturity on their new single Habit.
We’ll make one thing clear from the start; Habit isn’t a song about a nun’s garb. Although that would be, well, interesting, the habit in question refers to more the personal kind. Habit concerns itself with the effect one’s actions intuitively shape not just their own lives but the lives of those around them. Just like Ticking Boxes Ginger and Drum play with a loose narrative that is relatable to everyone. Habits, good or bad are hard to break, and more often than not we are a slave to them.
As ethereal as ever, vocalist Zoe Gault is astounding. Her voice is the centrepiece of Ginger and Drum and it is utilised to great effect here. It floats serenely, like a dragonfly that dips and wavers over the water’s edge on a hot summer day. If you’ve seen the band live then you’ll know that this isn’t a studio trick, this gal has a set of lungs on her and she knows how to use it. Not in a bellowing way. As previously mentioned by Happy writer Huckleberry Hastings, Gault infuses her voice with an incredible empathic depth. It’s truly a mesmerising thing to hear.
There are a few echo effects used on the vocals in Habit which lends a more dramatic element not heard on the band’s previous material. On the instrumental front stickman Andrew Rawson is nailing it. The beats have a lot of space to them, allowing room for Gault’s vocals weave through the melody. The percussion anchors the track nicely; sparse but sharing the same empathic quality of the vocals, the scattered sound matching up with the character that is the focus of the narrative.
All in all it’s good to see the duo Ginger and Drum back in such style. Their sound has developed nicely, and one hopes that Habit is a sign of good things to come from the pair. You can catch them live and in the flesh for free two single launch shows in Melbourne and Sydney.
Friday 28 August – Oxford Art Gallery, Sydney, w/ special guests
Saturday 5 September – Penny Black, Melbourne, w/ special guests
