Redspencer - Perks

Melbourne's Redspencer is offering one of the sneakiest of the impressive debuts this year.  Cue up Perks, their new LP for hometown label Deaf Ambitions, and you enter a world of hazy, sun-kissed guitar pop that strikes you as a bit of '60s California, a bit of '70s American acoustic rock, a bit of current Melbourne indie pop similar to The Ocean Party, all smeared with a dreamy haze.  But several times through the album, and certainly when it finishes, your reaction most likely is going to be "wow, these guys are really good".  There are a lot of bands who are loose, but fewer that can write and perform a song that manages to be both a concise pop gem and give off a loose-limbed we're-just-here-to-enjoy-the-sunshine-and-fish-tacos vibe.  And Redspencer does it in every single one of the 11 tracks on Perks.

Some may respond to the relaxed tone and soft vocals on Perks and relegate it to the bedroom pop channel, but I think that is a shallow analysis.  The lyricism presented on this album are bold and ambitious and the arrangements detailed and sturdy.  It is music much better suited for driving along the coastal highway than sitting inside.  Consider it an album for happy, contented extroverts with nothing immediate to prove but a desire for a great soundtrack.

Redspencer are Dave McMillian, Aiden McMillian, Andre Franco, and Alex Buchanan.  Perks is out now via Deaf Ambitions (see the Bandcamp link below).







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Bandcamp for Perks