The Bank Holidays
Sail becomes a kite
The Lost & Lonesome Recordings

The Bank Holidays have finally come in out of the sun.

The carefree summer fun captured on the Perth band’s previous releases ‘As a Film’ and ‘Good Looks To Camera’ has been replaced with the flickering warmth of a winter fire.

There is no chill in the air on this release. The Bank Holidays continue their superb recordings of sounds well before their time.

Lead track ‘Tripping up to fall in love’ immediately alerts you to the band’s shift in sound. Gone is the happy-chappy sing song pace and feel. Smooth notes and delicate harmonies are the new order.

‘Save Silence’ is a beautifully stripped back offering with the key focus on Bekk Reczek’s wafting vocals.

‘His Majesty’s Voice’ offers a giddy ride for the listener, tripping back to the swinging ‘60s of the ‘Dandys’.

‘Sail becomes a kite’ is interestingly for many reasons. It is the shortest song on the 12-track release and seems to provide a bit of an interval of sorts. It is also the only song on the album without instrumental. The band has relied entirely on their own voices for almost all of its duration.

‘Oxford Street’ hits you with a clang of drums. It has hints of Bank Holidays of old, with its up tempo and intertwining vocals.

‘Through the trees’ returns the band back to their winter cocoon. This track is quite beautiful from a melodic point of view, though the lyrics are a little underwhelming and at times a little nonsensical: ‘the voice inside of me/the voice inside of me is a ghost/ the voice inside of me is almost close/ the voice inside of me keeps memories’.

‘Gravity’s Playthings’ begins with a stunning couple of bars of guitar strumming. Soft strings echo across the track with a dramatic thud of drum breaking through the beauty.

There is so much to like about this album. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but there is a gentle quiet beauty about it that should be experienced.

Tags | review, The Bank Holidays