Orange Passiona, I imagine, would be quite delicious. A little sweet, a little tangy; a summertime cocktail of refreshing, breezy flavours. To imagine the kind of music that would best accompany the consumption of such a beverage, your mind will almost immediately be drawn to the dreamy psych sounds of a Sydney outfit of the same name, Orange Passiona.
The five-piece ooze out an irresistible blend of hypnotic sounds, and with the release of their debut EP The Squeeze, the group have quickly established their penchant for crafting immersive gems of sound. If you’re not already on this bandwagon, stop kidding yourself and come join the party.
On their debut EP The Squeeze, Sydney-based five-piece Orange Passiona embark on a sprawling journey of psychedelic glory.
Throughout the new EP, the band (made up of lead guitarist Milton Stathakis, bassist Jesse Elton, rhythm guitarist Isaac Atienzo, drummer Nick Stathakis, and keyboardist Oliver Andersen) glide through a spellbinding concoction of reggae, psych, indie-rock, blues, and pop to deliver something uniquely their own. With blissful vocal melodies and rich, hallucinatory instrumental arrangements, The Squeeze is brimming with pure musical charm.
Across the EP’s half-hour run-time, Orange Passiona will guide you through sprawling psychedelic soundscapes, stretching their sound into exciting and unexpected areas. The EP’s opening track, Orange Passiona, is a slow-burning psych-groove jam. Alternating male and female vocals weave into one another, creating something brilliantly disorientating.
From here, the band navigate myriad sonic territories; they never sit in one place for too long. Bad Woman is driven by bluesy guitar lines and sultry vocals, while Feel is more of an upbeat psych-pop anthem. Dreamland is the EP’s epic centrepiece, building from a woozy slice of ambient-rock into a booming and soulful explosion of sound.
By the time the EP’s frantic closing number Tuesday reaches its final moments, you’ll be completely transfixed by Orange Passiona’s unique brand of psych-rock.
These still may be early days for this Sydney outfit, but judging by the quality of what we’ve heard so far, I think we can safely expect plenty more great tunes. In the meantime, do yourself a favour and listen to the new EP above.
