INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
In typically Aussie fashion, The Gifthorse pulled a John Farnham last year and (forgive the pun) got back in the saddle.Give My Body To This Town, their second studio album, is the endgame of said reunion – a chance to prove that there’s more to getting back together than a couple of shows and some sing-alongs with old friends.
For all intents and purposes, The Gifthorse have succeeded, managing to recontexualise themselves without sacrificing defining traits and characteristics from previous releases. Frontman Shane Collins is on-point vocally, delivering sharp, dynamic melodies across highlights such as ‘Fault Lines Forms’ and ‘One More Night in Brisbane’.
A major fault, however, comes in the album’s mix – a voice as prominent and unmistakable as Collins’ shouldn’t be buried the way it has been here. Furthermore, a slim 27-minute runtime may be fitting of the band’s punk ethos, but one can’t help but feel that there could have been a little more time to be spent with the record.
Yes, it has its flaws, but one certainly shouldn’t (forgive this pun as well) look a gift horse in the mouth. It’s a warm and welcome return from a band that clearly has unfinished business.
3.5/5.
Give My Body To This Townis out now through Poison City.
