Songwriter Michael Dolan has teamed up with half of the members of Apricot Rail for his band Perth. With such pedigree, there is little doubt that Perth are going to be one of the most cinematic and calming bands to come of those parts.
What’s Your Utopia? has a sense of the upbeat in its prevailing mood, even if it is not always reflected in its tempo.
While not as word-shy as Apricot Rail, Perth still use vocals sparingly as a musical tool, but they are at their most prominent during ‘Greasy Moon’. It is not that Perth have nothing to say, or that they can’t hold a note, it is just that there are no need for words when the music is as expressive as it is on this album.
‘Old At Heart’ has the slow burn that Múm have always used to great effect. This tune, which is over well before acceptances, has a sound that’s somewhere between living inside a video game and sitting in an oriental garden.
Treading the lines between electronica and post-rock is an art form that Perth excel at, without trying to be too clever or overblown.
When Pavement sung ‘I Love Perth’ all those years ago, they sure as hell weren’t wrong.
4/5 stars
BY CHRIS HAVERCROFT
What’s Your Utopia is out now through Hidden Shoal.
