Jezabels - The Brink

by Tony Gaughan

published: 28 / 2 / 2014

Label: Play It Again Sam
Format: CD

Brooding indie rock on second album from Australian power pop band, the Jezabels

Review

I had heard nothing of this Australian power pop combo, but, having turned up to a recent Pixies show early, they were the tour support and I found myself immersed in their dark indie inspired pop. ‘The Brink’ is the second album from the Aussie four-piece, and was produced by Dan Grech-Marguerat, who has previously worked with Radiohead, the Vaccines and Lana Del Rey. The title track opener is big in sound, very dark and brooding in an Editors way, as is ‘The End’, with its soar away vocals, thick swathes of keyboards, gated drums and minimal guitar. Every track is four minutes or more in length, which could lead to radio suicide on these shores. Could this explain their suppression? ‘On the Busy Street ‘is fairly poppy in nature, still dark but funky with great vocals from Hayley Mary. On this track and also ‘Angels of Fire‘, she sounds like Florence Welch, although in other areas there are shades of Chrissie Hynde or Kate Bush, especially on the piano synth ballad of ‘Psychotherapy’ and closing track ‘All You Need’. If you are a fan of dark indie pop, Editors, Joy Division or even U2 you will appreciate this slab of indie darkness.