If Sydney’s Inner West is famous for anything, it’s producing a high calibre of musical talent. Having spawned a ridiculous number of kick-arse bands in its time, the hashtag #innerwestisbest is definitely not a misnomer. And with name drops like Newtown, Paramatta Road and Camperdown, Flowertruck is one of the most loud-and-proud Inner West bands of late. Throw in a genuine Aussie vocal, a sense of humour and some sweet, sweet lo-fi garage pop and you’ve got yourself a true-blue act from down under.
Bounding into Spring comes Sydney’s Flowertruck with their debut EP Dirt. Energetic and passionate, they’re the new heroes of Sydney’s Inner West.
Flowertruck have been kicking around since last year, and have already supported biggies like Sticky Fingers and Jeremy Neale. They have also played a bunch of festival shows. In keeping with their Inner West credentials, their latest release, the Dirt EP was recorded at Free Energy Device Studios in Camperdown.
Opening track Sunshower is light-hearted and spring-friendly. It doesn’t fail to impress with its dual sing-ey / shout-ey vocals, jangly guitars and all-round good vibes. It’s a good entree to the rest of the EP, an excellent reflection of what the band is capable of, and successfully pulls off.
Another standout track is Tourmaline. A little slower than Sunshower, this tune is more downcast and reflective. Lead vocalist Charles Rushforth holds the song together, while secondary vocalist Sarah Sykes always chimes in at precisely the right time with her sweet-sounding pipes. Nothing feels overstated in this song; everything is where it needs to be. Towards the end of the track, it somehow manages to convey a sense of passion and urgency without sounding aggressive, merely by adding in some more vocals and changing tone on the voice.
The ultimate tune on this recording though, is I Wanna Be With You. At their best, this band is comparable to The Cure, especially in terms of their guitar sounds and ambience. I Wanna Be With You is the best example of this, with the introductory guitar, synths and drums immediately drawing you in. Of course, Flowertruck’s sound is much cheerier than The Cure’s, which makes them almost more listenable at times, and more palatable to the average listener.
Songs that somehow manage to perfectly balance the melancholy without sounding dour are few and far between, but Flowertruck manage to make it happen. You can totally see this song playing during a montage when somebody is trying to get over a break up — hopeful but ultimately a bit sad.
The Delta Riggs, Royal Headache, The Whitlams and Frenzal Rhomb are just some of the tops Inner Westies that have made a name for themselves outside of the area. It’s time to add Flowertruck to that list.
Read:
Check out Flowertruck on our list of best new Australian bands in 2016.
