INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Following his debut 2011 Dreams EP, Oliver Tank’s Slow Motion Music explores the same melancholic themes and dreamy soundscapes, albeit on a grander scale. Over the past 18 months, Oliver Tank has supported Lana Del Rey, James Blake and Lorde, so the 23-year-old Sydney producer’s release comes at an opportune time for him to build on his strong live fan base.
Rather than a collection of songs, this EP comes across like a soundtrack, ushering the listener into intimate, ambient textures where Tank’s hushed, drawn-out vocals provide an underlying human pathos.
Like the EP title suggests, the songs unravel slowly, moving at an elegiac pace. The opener ‘Stay’ drifts through a lush backdrop of moving strings as Tank and Fawn Meyers engage in romantic entreaties.
The measured yet affecting ‘Different Speed’ features the nuanced production of Ta-ku, who delivers layers of plucked violins and subtle glitch beats reminiscent of Four Tet with a wobbly dub edge.
Not one shy to away from collaboration, Tank also teams up with Hayden Calnin on the uplifting ‘You Never Know’ and UK producer Stumbleine on the cinematic but somewhat meandering ‘Her’. Contributing to the blissed-out, lost-in-space mood are a number of atmospheric tracks such as ‘Home’ and ‘Time Slows Down When You Walk Into The Room’, which will probably end up on the playlist at your favourite inner city cafe.
Though the record lacks the hooks and catchy melodies on his debut EP, it is a step up in producing a more full-bodied sound. If you’re in the mood to find solace in dreamy ambient electronica, then Slow Motion Music is a proper treat – but I have a feeling that Oliver Tank has more to offer.
3.5/5 stars
BY LARRY LAI
Slow Motion Music is out now through Create/Control.
