Art-pop wonder, Austen delivers dreamy sophomore EP, 'Small'
Photo by Katy Roubin
Melbourne/Brisbane art-pop wonder, Austen, has released her anticipated sophomore EP, ‘Small’, which is anything but.
Full of dreamy textures, delving into house beats and/or electro at times, ‘Small’ is four-tracks of synth-y art, all drifting around Austen’s velvety vocals. It’s easy to immerse yourself into the EP - close your eyes, jump on to the nearest fluffy, flying Nimbus cloud and float through the Stratosphere.
Off the back of her acclaimed single ‘The Fire’, a left-field slice of pop that drew comparisons to Disclosure and Little Dragon (Declan Byrne, triple j), the sophomore EP solidifies Austen’s range as a songwriter, as ‘Small’ takes the listener on a journey through more moods in four tracks than many would expect from a full length album.
‘North South East West’ moves in to clever, guitar-pop territory. It’s slinky, with a catchy chorus, and has a lighter feel to it.
‘In The Lake’ brings in heavily padded drum machines to support a piano-based journey with stunning harmonies, and the cheeky woops.
Lead single ‘How To Be Alone’ is an 80’s-tinged, dark synth-pop banger that tugs at your heartstrings and your dancing shoes in equal measure. With raw and personal lyrics that perfectly echo the feelings of the whole world during the past 18 months, despite being written pre-lockdown, it’s now poised to become our 2021 anthem.
In her own words, “How To be Alone is dedicated to the person who told me ‘you need to learn how to be alone’ a month before a global pandemic hit. After 200 days locked down, I’m getting better, but I’m still learning.” The single was co-written and co-produced by Sam Phay, and mixed by Jono Ma (Flight Facilities, Channel Tres), with Austen tapping Ma for mixing duties on the whole EP.
It is easy to see why Austen has been touted as a ‘rising pop star’, as she demonstrates a lack fo fear when it comes to experimentation, yet still creating clever, hooky pop songs that could easily drip in to the mainstream, while still maintaining that alternative edge.
You can stream ‘Small’ now on all streaming platforms.