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Music

Tasmania based country outfit The Sheyana Band release their debut EP Ricochet

The Sheyana Band’s EP “Ricochet” mesmerizes with its blend of country-pop, Americana, and roots influences, showcasing dynamic vocals and expert musicianship.

The Sheyana Band present the fruits of their time in lockdown with EP Ricochet. The country pop sounding, Americana inspired and roots influenced six song release is fit for the Nashville soundtrack, as well as centre stage at any Blues and Roots festival. 

Sheyana herself is a force, the band propelling her forward at a rate that seems unsustainable, yet they never falter. Vocally, Sheyana is reminiscent of late stage Mavis Staples.

The Sheyana Band

Remarkable Man sounds as though it could have been pulled straight from the praised singer’s 2019 release We Get By. The energy that The Sheyana Band foster penetrates every moment of Ricochet.

With an instrumental performance so expert and exact, it’s hard to believe the outfit aren’t already a country favourite across the entire industry. At the very least, the band carries the aura of seasoned session musicians, the likes of whom are never out of work. 

The pain lets you know you’re alive/ what it means to be living, sings Sheyana on title track Ricochet. A perfect country tinted sentiment that hits just as hard as hearing it the first time. Sheyana’s easy listening vocal still reaches for impressive heights, her tone one that can carry through the depths and light up the darkness.

Her confidence is palpable, but the most endearing aspect is the joviality she brings to each moment. There is no doubting she is enjoying herself, though more importantly, there is no doubt that she believes in everything she sings. Ricochet feels laced with hope and a hunger for good times. 

My Darlin’ is a country standard. Broken hearted and moving on to the sanguine tune of whining guitars and climbing bass. Impossible not to sway along, impossible not to feel the affect of the swelling backing vocals. A perfect, seductive guitar solo to top it off, and it’s a wonder The Sheyana Band haven’t yet graced the Grand Ole Opry. It’s hard to know whether Sheyana is suffering or elated; or perhaps a delicious concoction of both. 

The Sheyana Band dance with timeless themes of love and loss, of hope and the loss of it, as well as directly addressing the difficulty of the year that was 2020. Ricochet fits perfectly into any country, blues or roots chart. With its slow moving and lightly distorted guitar lines and Sheyana’s husky and seasoned tone, listening to The Sheyana Band creates an almost unrelenting desire to experience them live. To feed off the energy they so graciously feed us through their entire EP. 

Listen to Ricochet below. 

Review by Caitlin Norris