your room
*****
Released on the upcoming compilation ‘Oz Do It Better, Volume 2’ by the antipodes-appreciating French label Beko Disques, this song by Blush Response is like a time machine ride back to 1989.
Breathy vocals drenched in reverb, guitars chiming and then fuzzy and the bass driving – simple but melodic. I listened to it over and over trying to pin down who exactly it reminded me of. There were lots of contenders: My Bloody Valentine, Stone Roses, Ride, Ripe, Hummingbirds, Mandlebrot Set, The Jean Paul Satre Experience, the Pastels, the Bats… but the exact reference eluded me.
The whisper-sung vocals are buried deep in the mix but the lyrics, when they emerge, have a simple charm; “another night in your room, wondering why I’m back here… after the last time.” They don’t put a foot wrong.
They describe their sound as shoegaze and recently played the Roogaze Festival in Melbourne with a similarly reverb drenched line-up that included Day Ravies and the gorgeous Hideous Towns.
There was a resurgence in this sound in the early 2000s (was nu-gaze really a thing?) that seemed to go unnoticed in Adelaide but seems to be gaining momentum this time around with local bands such as The Dunes and Blush Response looking to Kevin Sheilds (MBV) as an inspiration to turn out beautifully crafted slabs of fuzzy dream pop.
I love this song but I loved these sounds the first time round. I’m not sure what “the kids” will make of it, but hopefully they love it too.
Check out ‘Your Room’ here.
Also printed in Bside Magazine 4 June 2015