As the summer breathes it’s final drowsy sighs and sets behind the smiling mountains giving way to golden foliage and the cool grin of Autumn, we inevitably find ourselves longing to taste the final, fleeting dregs of the sun’s warm honey. But from where can we extract the sweet glowing nectar of summer’s sandy memory? Music, of course. Each year we turn memories of Australia’s favourite season into eternal strands of lucid gold through tunes that evoke that same warmth any time of the year.
With an unmistakable originality, The Lulu Raes’ Infinite Paradise (Sail Away) is the perfect way to immortalise the glorious memories of summers past.
For The Lulu Raes and their new single Infinite Paradise (Sail Away), the chilled glass of nostalgia for 2016’s early months seems to have been filled to the brim, bringing summer sing-alongs that, if we’re lucky, will last us a lifetime. Seriously, just ask Thirsty Merc how hard it can be to shrug off the incessant paradise that is a summer classic.
Infinite Paradise (Sail Away) is all of this and more. It flies at listeners like a net of spun sugar shot from a cannon to ensnare and move even the most chill of chillers and move the most stiff of limbs into a frenzy. With the addition of a music video taking on the legacy of Rocky Balboa in true 70’s finesse, the candy-coated track can’t help but entertain. The opening synths wash over us like the kind ocean’s rainbow waves and introduce our video’s protagonists, the golden-haired wonder boy who’s overt sensuality is as arousing as it is a sign of villainous intent and his nemesis, the affable underdog with fire in his eyes and revenge in his heart.
What did wonder boy do to ruffle underdog’s feathers? What’s he gonna do about it? One thing is for certain, there’s something inherently arousing in witnessing a topless hunk reaching his spiritual centre through beach tai-chi. So well made and addictive is the video, it still doesn’t take from the anthem it embraces. Infinite Paradise (Sail Away) sees the Lulu Raes basking in their originality with inventive chord changes managing to cling tightly to accessibility and cozy familiarity. The catchy chorus nibbles cheekily on the listener’s earlobe begging its way into psyche and into a comfortable and consistent solitude in the brain.
Never underestimate the power of actually learning to sing properly before forming a band. The vocals in this track are sublime, adding an inescapable unique edge and distinction to the iridescent soundscapes created by the band. The thin rasp of the vocalist is delivered with such honesty, the stories to be extracted from Infinite Paradise (Sail Away) sans video are endless. In the end, we’re left on a cliffhanger. The battle royale that once seemed inevitable has eluded each and every one of us but the video itself reigns triumphant in its goal of hooking the listener into its soundtrack. Perhaps the story will be continued in videos to come from the Sydney four piece. We can only hope.
For now, enjoy those last drops of summer, drink them deep and drink them dry and let unforgettable tracks like this remind you of the paradise that slumbers within the mind in rain or shine.
