Disquiet Living by Hideous Towns
Following a string of EPs and singles, Melbourne quartet Hideous Towns finally polish up the good silver for the release of their debut album Disquiet Living.
With their winning combination of chiming gazed-out guitars, dynamic female vocals and buoyant, no-frills drum propulsion, Hideous Towns have nonchalantly secured a stronghold on the world’s tuned-in dream-pop fans.
First taste of the album came earlier this year in the form of double-single ‘Don’t Forget / Wake Us’ which picked up some solid community radio support and even had Dom Alessio saying “It feels like music from the shadowy corner of a forest” — Cure pun duly noted.
On Disquiet Living, with producer Matthew Hosking at the helm, Hideous Towns succeed in taking their enviable pop smarts to places hitherto unexplored by the band, from the spirited new-wave of ‘Jacques-Louis David’ and the motorik kraut-pop of ‘Lion’ to the expansive, wistful album closer ‘Natural Expression’.
On latest single ‘Value’, Alana West's urgent, powerful vocal bursts forth beyond the entangled post-punk rhythm section and further into the listener's personal space than usual, her direct delivery contrasted by some of her most abstract lyrics to date.
West explores the idea of balance in her life as she attempts to achieve a state of grace, within her own inner world and in the world around her, sagely examining the innate equality of those she encounters in all walks of life.
Alana West — vocals
Chris MacLean — guitar
Ryan De Coite — bass
Ashley Stirling — drums
Tracklist
| 1. | Don't Forget | 3:55 |
| 2. | Lion | 3:19 |
| 3. | Jacques-Louis David | 2:52 |
| 4. | Waratah | 3:40 |
| 5. | Glass Curtain | 3:33 |
| 6. | Don't Look Up | 4:36 |
| 7. | Coincidents | 4:42 |
| 8. | Value | 3:07 |
| 9. | Fantasy | 4:05 |
| 10. | Wake Us | 4:03 |
| 11. | Natural Expression | 5:28 |
Credits
Recorded and mixed by Matthew Hosking
Mastered by Mikey Young
