Japanese/Australian brother/sister duo Lastlings have released an absolutely mesmerising live EP, lifting four songs from their ‘First Contact’ album released last year and recording them live. Accompanying videos of the enchanting performances add an indelible lustre.
The performance is enthralling – gorgeous reflective and melancholic vocals, keys, crisp acoustic guitars and exquisite melodies. The band says:
These recordings are actually the first time we had stripped-back our songs to an acoustic level – live or recorded, so it was in some ways a new challenge for us. Initially we were nervous about playing these isolated parts, however we felt the songs took on a new breath of life – we were certainly pleased with the result and reaction from fans so far. We started with ‘No Time’ and from there we did ‘Deja Vu’, ‘Take My Hand’ and ‘Out Of Touch’. We had a lot of fun simplifying and bringing space to these songs that are usually full of more energy and layers of sounds.
There is no better indication of great songwriting than the ability to perform songs stripped back and live – and Lastling pass the test with flying colours. The tracks are raw and exposed: delivered beautifully and with pose:
Witness the celestial sound of ‘Take My Hand’: anthemic, yearning and melodic perfection:
‘Live Acoustic’ will send you running to listen to ‘First Contact’ – the songs are magnificent and statuesque and performed with mastery.
This is an outstanding collection of songs delivered with enigmatic and impeccable style. Out now through Liberation Records, the EP can downloaded/streamed here.
Feature Photograph: Jessica Aleece
