★★★★☆
When Zeahorse released their debut LPPoolsin 2013, it showed them to be just as much of a jam band as they were meticulous with their songs.
Even at a lean 36 minutes, there was no ‘fat’ to trim, per se, but there was a very clear divide between the small handful of carefully constructed songs they had been playing live for years and those that were drawn-out experiments to emerge from their studio sessions.
While Torana Dreamin might be marginally shorter than their debut, there are way more songs being brought to the table this time, all ten of which absolutely deliver. They’ve stripped back the murky tape hiss we heard on their debut and replaced it with bone-dry, face-melting baritone bliss.
In terms of technical abilities, these musicians have come on leaps and bounds since their debut – the songs are stronger, the riffs are meatier (‘Runt’ is one of their finest), singer Morgan Anthony’s melodies and guitar lines are significantly stronger, and the lyrical commentary is much more on the mark.
It’s an improvement on their debut in every way and does justice to the songs they’ve been playing live in the lead-up. I’ve gotten weird looks calling this my album of the year – but I can no longer hide it. Best bloody band in Sydney, hands down. Get this record immediately.
Zeahorse’sTorana Dreaminis released independently and available here.
