Spacey Jane
Sunlight
2020
9/10
2020 will be remembered as a year of firsts on many fronts (I’m sure you can think of a few); but for the astute listeners out there, 2020 will be remembered as the year Spacey Jane released their debut record.
The Indie Rockers from Perth have been slowly building a loyal following since their 2017 debut EP No Way To Treat An Animal and their Triple J
Unearthed win to play at Falls Festival 2018. Yet, not even the quintet would have predicted the highs that Sunlight would go on to achieve in what was the craziest year of our lives.
The album is without a doubt back-to-back, surf rock gem after surf rock gem. Good For You, Head Cold and Skin open things in a powerful fashion, coupling woozy guitar riffs with sun drenched unified choruses. Lead Singer Caleb Harper swoons through each song with an element of genuine personality as he sings of experiences ranging from penicillin allergies as a child to empty bottles and pill bags exacerbating life’s many challenges.
The next treble of tracks all but reinforces the rock-solid momentum developed in the opening three, with Good Grief, Wasted On Me and Booster Seat absolutely giving a straight whack to your sonic pleasure centre. Booster Seat though is the real hero here. It is the anthemic, sing-a-long that 2020 needed and obviously resonated with many of you, having recently been voted into the No. 2 track of Triple J’s Hottest 100. It has hooks and jangle, grunt and substance, all whilst maintaining Spacey’s laconic Perth vibes. Maybe they were high on one of those famous WA sunsets when they composed this absolute cracker?
The record continues to capture your imagination from here, if not in the same highs, but still with the same delight. There is in fact some noteworthy harmonies from rad bassist Peppa Lane that draw your attention and in the unlikely event that the band reads this, we of course say, gives us more harmonies from Peppa! Oh and did I mention, that Peppa is probably the happiest bass player you are likely to see?
To close in the same way as I began, 2020 gave us some interesting moments, but this may go down as the most memorable! You can catch Spacy Jane as they tour Australia in the early months of 21’ and look out Newy because here they come to The Civic Centre on Wednesday 14th April with two shows that are selling fast! Don’t snooze on these legends…..
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Written by Luke Foster.