Carnations by Carnations

Carnations, another leading light of the new Sydney scene, are unveiling their debut release imminently on Urge. It's a five-track cassette of multi-vocal avant/savant-pop perfection delivered with a deliciously dead-eyed sense of doom. It's reminiscent of The Cure or even recent Bar Italia material, but skewed through a uniquely antipodean lens, the gloom belied by a slightly shambolic charm and offset by a restless, bouncy rhythm section. It remains eerily inviting despite its occasionally foreboding atmosphere, hitting a sweet spot in which it retains accessibility while avoiding the saccharine, indulging the expressive and the urge to maximalize (multiple synths, vocal lines and guitar parts vye for your attention) while avoiding any cloying earnestness. It's an extremely promising debut, another stellar addition to the Urge catalogue and worthy entry in the history of the modern Australian underground.