I recently found myself discussing Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the D’urbervilles with a friend. If you haven’t read it it’s well worth your time, albeit a dark and harrowing time will ensue when you do give it a go. So wouldn’t you know it, I’ve found a near perfect companion to that novel in the form of Sasha March‘s debut album Don’t Go Falling; a story of loss, resentment and redemption.
With an Indie-Folk charm and an debonair devil in the passenger seat, Sasha March’s debut album Don’t Go Falling is a hell of a ride.
March hails from good old Radelaide (or Adelaide if you have to be formal about it) and following on her well received 2014 EP is set to release her debut full length Don’t Go Falling on November 27. Listening to the album it’s a nice maturation of her sound, something that is heard through the allegory presented on the record. March maintains her narrative in the third person, keeping interpretations to her stories rather than dictating. It’s a very open approach to telling a tough story, and it’s an approach that works in her favour.
As the very wise Leslie Knope once said “If you take enough rides with the Devil pretty soon he’s going to drive“. It’s a theme that runs throughout Don’t Go Falling. Not in a melancholic way, but in a way that is actually quite empowering. March walks us through ideas of romanticism, naivety, and the long road to redemption. Her style is steeped in folk, with plenty of country and blues elements sprinkled throughout to give Don’t Go Falling plenty of bite.
In that respect it is a varied album tracks like Summer Mornings balances these elements well, bringing out an element of sexualisation as March battles against her Devil. Meanwhile opener Sleeping Sound and Calling His Name are more subdued, as they lure you into the spiderweb that is Don’t Go Falling‘s story. Blue Sorrow kicks up the dust with a riveting bass line that leads to a blues inspired jam brimming with fiery vocals.
Although there are varying styles on the album it is all tied together quite well by March’s vocals. Strong and commanding, her presence is omniscient, as they punch through the atmosphere and grab you by the throat. Listening to Devil and the standout title track Don’t Go Falling her voice bound with passion and soul. It makes for an involved listen, one that must be experienced in her world.
Sasha March will be undertaking an east coast tour to launch her debut, be sure to get down and soak in Don’t Go Falling live and raw.
November 23 – Brisbane, Busking in Brisbane – Market Street
November 24 – Brisbane,’Secret Gig’
November 27 – Brisbane, Busking in Brisbane – Eagle Street Pier
December 2 – Melbourne, Some Velvet Moring with Patrick WiIlson
December 4 – Melbourne, The Ed Castle with Oskar Herbig
