I love a good surprise release of music, especially when it comes from a band that I’ve been following for the last year and a bit. Perth dream-pop outfit Flower Drums have been hustling like no other to perfect and grow their sound, as they continue to release enchanting music and tour the country.
It’s actually been two years since their last EP release but ‘Lost Ones’ is certainly a body of work that is honest, raw and utterly mesmerising. It combines songs written over a period of five years, recorded both in Melbourne and Perth.
The symbolism of this record is really quite beautiful as it includes past singles as well as unreleased songs that never saw the light of day; until now. This accumulation of A-sides and unreleased material that never authentically aligned with prior releases therefore makes them the ‘Lost Ones’.
“We loved these songs and definitely intended to include them on an album but conceptually they never fit. It was only once we dived into our hard drives and pulled them all together that we realised we had something. For us it feels like a bunch of beautiful outcasts that have come together through their shared abandonment,” lead singer Leigh Craft said.
I happened to be listening to the EP while I was going through my mail and finally received my same-sex marriage postal voting form. It was kind of a symbolic happening. ‘Idle Time’ was the soundtrack for this moment and it was when the chorus kicked in that it really sort of hit home as to what was bloody going on. Flower Drums always find a way to bring their music to our everyday existence, and relate in a way that makes you questions things, but also uplift you.
The six-track EP is such an easy listen and I think that’s mostly because there’s such a familiarity to the band’s sound as a whole. Even though it can be quite sombre and thought provoking, I feel happy and at peace when I have their music playing. ‘The Fader’ is probably the darkest track off the record, but my favourite for sure. The balance this outfit find to give light and shade to their productions is what makes their music stand the test of time.
I can’t wait to hear this new music live and see what comes next for this band.
Rating: ★★★
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author: Kara Bertoncini