News + EP Review: Hobart’s The Black Sea Carnys announce new 6 track EP, ‘Cultland’ on back of news of Australian east coast tour dates

The Breakdown

The Black Sea Carnys first announced themselves with the brilliant EP, Nistar. Now, with Cultland, they have cemented their place as a serious powerhouse in the independent, alternative rock scene.

Independent – 9.5

Following on from the release of their debut EP, Nistar (read about it here), The Black Sea Carnys, Tasmania’s kings of all things dark and industrial have announced the impending release of their second EP, Cultland.

Cultland sees The Black Sea Carnys continue to shape their already unique sound as they add a further 6 tracks to their already impressive repertoire. The band’s music conjures images of classic film noir, set to a gothic, industrial soundtrack . Expansive and epic in its’ scope, and cinematic in its’ every brush-stroke, each song creates its’ own unique soundscape as the swirling, synthesized guitar work of Harry Wass is underpinned by the prominent, and menacing bass work of Alex Thomson and the almost-metronomic drumming of Ivan Johnstone. The sonic palette that is laid down by this trio is wonderfully completed by the vocal talents of Tim Davies, whose Morrison-esque vocal delivery is every much a part of the instrumentation of the band as the guitars and drums.

EP opener and title track, Cultland, sees the band flexing their muscles with a driving tempo, seeing them add a somewhat harder edge to some of their grand canon of songs. Cultland is quickly followed by The Fool, a song that continues to deliver the band’s edginess and new-found punch.

The haunting, early single, Only Lovers Left Alive is next and it thrills with its’ vast, cathederal organ-like guitar lines, only to be followed by the brooding Goya, a track with a distinct tribal vibe akin to some of the early songs from The Cult.

The final two songs, however, are where the majesty and cinema that are The Black Sea Carnys really shines, with The Hangman and Salem turning ‘brooding’ into a darkly sinister and visceral aural assault which reverberates throughout the listeners entire being.

There is no doubting the serious quality of music that this band is producing. First Nistar and now Cultland prove that The Black Sea Carnys are a force of nature, sculpting out a sonic identity that sits them in amongst the leaders of alternative Darkwave rock from around the world.

Cultland is available from the 26th of July across streaming platforms, or via the band’s Bandcamp page by clicking on the link here (purchasing a digital download helps the band continue its’ future recording and touring ambitions).

To compliment the release of Cultland, the band have announced a tour of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania throughout July and August, the dates of which are below.