With their debut EP ‘Swimmer‘, Melbourne trio Arbes introduced their glistening yet wistful guitar-pop – a bright release that displayed their appeasing form and directly introspective lyrical play. It drew us from the growing hue of Spring into the long nights of Summer, lowering us into blissful consideration of our own place in the haze of a bright day. ‘Psalms‘, their newly released second EP, smartly takes us from summer to the cooler climates of Autumn, casting an even more accomplished sound.
‘Psalms‘, on a foundational level, is another shimmering thirty minutes of music, a free-flowing river of phosphoresce hooks that floats on attentive structures. The early morning rise to the introduction of ‘Flutuar‘ is beautifully projected across bouncing bass lines and layering melodies, something the group make effortless in the well defined sounds they create each time. ‘Follow Towards‘, with its specifically sharp drum takes and enveloping structure change like the turn of a page, is the utter contrast – bound in a foreign place that summons a potency not heard before from the group. It evokes a warming stability between the new and the familiar, a distinct character trait of the thematics of the EP.
From the immediate off, Jess Zanoni is an all-encompassing personality who entrances not only with her prominent voice, but with her intimate verses that verge much more on the side of clarity over masquerade. Found in the middle of searching for herself after something ending (that mystifying middle of old and new), Zanoni deftly finds detail in every memory – the way a touch felt, the way its missing now – and finding her answers within the music. “I’ll follow towards your love, oh take me in I feel ready now // oh take me beyond it all, only you who knows where I need to go“, Zanoni defines the feeling of being so completely involved with someone that the dependency felt on them is overwhelming and scary, but so right that it can’t be any other way.
Across two EPs, especially here on ‘Psalms’, Arbes have quickly defined themselves, not only in a sense of finding their own place, but in being a truly interesting and compelling prospect within this genre. Their extroversion is irresistible and in their dynamic formation have something already accomplished. When considered singularly, ‘Psalms‘ ultimately captures a moment in time for its writer, but can be timeless for its listener.
‘Psalms‘ is available now via Sports Day Records – listen below.