Back in my suburban high school days the act of wearing Doc Martens was a statement of the wearer’s experience and readiness for street battle. By the time I got to university, Doc Martens had been adopted as the footwear de jour of self-proclaimed left-wing anarchist-socialist-communist-feminist rhetoricians; by the time Natasha Stott Despoja proudly showed her parliamentary Docs to the world, the boots had lost much of their original shock value.
Women In Docs aren’t out to make a statement any more than other female folk duos are out to do anything but write songs with lush melodies and captivating lyrics. And that, in distilled essence, is just what Women In Docs – AKA Roz Pappalardo and Chanel Lucas – are doing with their first release in eight years. With the exception of a re-recording of ‘Tin Roof’ (originally released on the duo’s debut EP), and a charming cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Wagon Wheel’,Carouselis a collection of new and original material as fresh as a temperate morning breeze. The harmonies are note-perfect; the melodies invigorating.
Carouselis nice, pleasant and will probably make your day a whole lot more enjoyable – which certainly couldn’t be said for Doc Martens back in the day.
3.5/5 stars
Carouselis out now on Plus One Records.
