Once a six-piece band, Tulalah has recently expanded into a band of nine! Indie-rock meets jazz-folk all in one EP is what your ears will be surrounded with while listening to this Melbourne grown band.
The diverse instrumental spectrum of guitar, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, drums and ukulele are all paired with the vocals of every band member. Yes that’s right, each band member issues his or her own unique vocal talent to the mix, creating a sound that is a blend of Bon Iver and Radiohead influences.
The enigmatic nine piece Tulalah do orchestral folk music proud, their dynamic and constantly evolving sound is truly mesmerising.
Tulalah have created a clash of different musical beats merging into one beautifully orchestrated song Distortrait. It starts off with a moody, serious tone before reaching a crescendo to transform into a much softer and calming tune thanks to the soft use of guitar and female vocals. Throughout the song vocals become much more dominant and form a harmonic tune that would not have been anticipated throughout the start of the song. Distortrait is similar to all of Tulalah’s songs is full of dimension and layering of transitional backbeats to the laid-back vocals.
Selma /And Yet It Moves is the latest EP from Tulalah. By looking at album covers it is clear that even in the finer details Tulalah have a clear plan on creating particular style. The album art have a distinct ‘chaos meets an individual undisturbed’ vibe. Just like their music they create a quiet place away from all the noise of daily chaos and allow the listener to follow their orchestrated sound on a musical journey falling into untroubled thoughts immersed in one’s own world.
Starting off with a solo guitar crusading into a much more solid sound with vocals that are sweet and calming, Selma is a song full of questions and confusion. “Are we human? Are we free?” is sung throughout the song and leaves the question open to the listener with delightful sounds of saxophone and drums. There are many vocal breaks within the song allowing for Tulalah to really show how diverse their musical range and distinct sound.
Whilst Selma was asking questions And Yet It Moves is there to give an answer. It is a song of triumph as it opens with “Follow and I will take you to a place that is free of unworldly desire”. It has a certain magical sound of another realm to it as the journey of the song ends in a place of bliss within oneself. Somehow the rigid vocals flow with the fluid lyrics and the trumpet paired with percussion.
Tulalah has evolved their sound to develop a clean blend of vocals and instruments paired together in Banana Fritterhead. Now Tulalah are submerging their powerful instrumental talent with energetic vocals that demand to be heard. With the added three band members there is bound to be many more creative dynamics to the musically diverse band in the near future.
