[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/212765531″ params=”color=000000&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]
There must be something in the Melbourne waters, because the talent-rich city has given us yet another killer duo to keep our playlists fresh and inspired. MANOR is a quirky band founded by Caitlin Duff and Nathaniel Morse. The two have released a collection of scattered singles throughout their career, however have bundled three of their best together to comprise their self-titled debut EP.
Populated with honest stories and raw imagery, MANOR’s debut EP is a hazy window to peek through into their dreamy world.
The latest single on the EP, They’ve Come Into My Home, recently premiered on Rolling Stone this month, and was played on Triple J’s Home & Hosed for International Women’s Day. Duff told Bullet Media that the song is “About the breaking up of a relationship that’s just for show, where the couple are barely intimate in private but in public they act like everything is fine.” Oftentimes it’s not just two people invested in a relationship, but all these peripheral players that take personal offense as if they were the ones breaking up. They’ve Come Into My Home as a phrase is referencing that insertion of others into a private situation.”
The song has a kind of groovy march vibe about it, featuring a double layered vocal line. Vibrant guitar riffs interject the moody vocals and a classic fade out finishes the track with alien-like atmos. MANOR have also released an accompanying video for the song, using footage of a holiday from 1960, around Tonga, Sri Lanka and Fiji. The footage mirrors the energy of the song, whilst simultaneously reflecting the lyrical themes of vulnerability.
The opener of the EP, Can You Hear Me Talking At You, was recorded by the duo themselves; mixed by Gareth Jones in London and mastered by Joe Lambert in Brooklyn. An indie psych-rock tune, the laid back, 70s lounge style vocal compliments the punchy guitar melodies. MANOR again produced their own video to tribute the song, directed by Anny Duff and shot on super 8 film by a surfer in the late 60s. Filmed off the South Australian coast, the clean guitar riffs and chilled drum licks will guide you back to the summer of the 60s.
The middle track is like the EP’s middle child, however certainly does not go unnoticed. Grand Mal is named after a type of seizure, after the duo experienced a close friend experiencing one. The song details the pain and suffering of something like this, as well as the struggle of watching someone you love go through it. A mid-tempo, heavily distorted drum beat fortifies an otherwise surreal clutter of music. Reverb drenched guitar and a hazy vocals make for a hypnotic four minutes of listening – but it is definitely a chaotic whirl you’ll want to experience.
The Aussie duo has certainly cemented their mark in the Aussie music scene with their debut EP MANOR. Three intriguing tacks with delicate stories and personal videos, MANOR are not hiding any of their colours, but rather wearing their hearts on their sleeve.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/230621069″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
