THE EPs Talk Tight (2016) and French Press (2017) announced Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever as a band to watch. However, music is littered with bands unable to deliver on their initial promise.
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The Melbourne five-piece isn’t one of them. The long-awaited debut album Hope Downs has taken the spirit of their EPs and tightened the songwriting in a compelling mix of jangly indie, country and post-punk.
Talking Straight’s driving chorus carries the vibe of Midnight Oil, while the album’s other highlights Exclusive Grave and An Air Conditioned Man sound like Robert Forster-led Go-Betweens and The Triffids.
The real beauty of Hope Downs is its sparsity. Each member provides a unique flavour through the three duelling vocalists and competing guitar riffs, which melds together like an elaborate conversation.
RBCF have commanded the spotlight.