Dom Brinkley has delivered a vibrant sonic dreamscape with The Butterfly EP, a four-song collection that spans the reaches of the Melbourne musician’s sound.
The EP opens with the warm guitar strums of Space, a six-minute opus that initially makes use of sparse instrumentation to forefront Brinkely’s enrapturing vocals.
Save for the glimmer of twangy guitar, Space is adorned mostly in Brinkley’s melodies, which flit between ascendant highs and brooding lows with finesse.
What begins as a guitar-led ballad detailing feelings of stagnation later transforms into something more celestial, with the song’s latter half delivering an explosion of twinkling keys and thunderous drums in what can only be described as a joyride through the cosmos.
In a showcase of his versatility, Brinkley heads to groovier territory on second track and lead single Bad Wine.
Carried by an endlessly danceable 70s bassline, this slice of sonic nostalgia brims with earwormy flairs, from the female backing vocals to propulsive percussion.
Perhaps the EP’s poppiest track, Bad Wine pairs its infectious sound with a tale of escape from fake friends and life’s mundanity.
That quest for escapism continues on penultimate track Paint, which details Brinkley’s experiences with hardship and steadfast desire to overcome it.
“I don’t feel the need to let this blue stamp in my dreams,” he croons triumphantly, offering a note of optimism amid mentions of sinking energy and sleepless nights.
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These more vulnerable lyrics belie the otherwise upbeat sound, which coasts on bongo-like percussion and doo-wop harmonies.
It’s on Paint that the EP’s thematic focus of escape is crystallised, to the point where the surrounding tracklist begins to feel like the very daydreams Brinkley wishes to live within.
Saving the best for last, Brinkley finalises The Butterfly EP with its namesake track and EP standout. There’s an intoxicating feel that adorns every aspect of Butterfly, which swarms by with the frenetic energy of a night out on the town.
This restlessness is due in part to Brinkley’s diverse sonic palette, with Butterfly drawing upon all the liveliest elements of soul and jazz to muster the musical equivalent of an alcoholic buzz.
While all the staples of Motown are there — from propulsive basslines to the kind of emphatic horns you’d hear on an Amy Winehouse cut — Brinkley isn’t about to be confined by just one genre.
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All throughout Butterfly, Brinkley adds texture and dynamism by pulling from an array of diverse sounds, be it the surreal psychedelia of his hazy vocals or the catchy pop sensibilities of his melodic guitar.
The effect of this pastiche is a song that simply rushes over you. There’s a sparkling vitality to the production that feels almost cinematic, as if Butterfly is playing as the protagonist of a ‘60s film gets ready for a debaucherous night out.
In a music landscape saturated with cliches and strict genre lines, the sheer vibrancy of a project like The Butterfly EP is hard to come by, and we’re all the better for it.
Listen to The Butterfly EP by Dom Brinkley below.
