Our love for New Zealand’s Fazerdaze here at Backseat Mafia knows no bounds ever since we heard Amelia Murray’s debut material way back in 2017, and it is truly exciting to hear her new single ‘Bigger’ – an absolutely enchanting slice of ethereal dream pop with a pop sensibility, bigger and more dramatic than the Southern Alps. In a sense it harks back to her earlier material from her debut album ‘Morningside’ with its dream pop genetic code, and yet it transcends anything she has done before, with its more modern-era steely spine evidenced in last year’s EP ‘Break!’.
With a restrained drive at the beginning redolent of The Motels or Silversun Pickups, the chorus has a hazy swoopy synth that washes through like a lazy wave on a beach. Murray’s vocals never sounded better – delicate and dreamy throughout, and with a half spoken section that has a fifties doo-wop tinge.
And then there is a sense of lush dewy-eyed romanticism in the lyrics which reflects a more open and mature Fazerdaze – looking outwards and upwards, and yet still inflected with a melancholy blush that evokes a wistful, yearning tone:
we’re caught between
this life and dream
but you and me
we’re bigger
let’s try to figure this out
This is stunning stuff from Fazerdaze and another exciting chapter in Murray’s work.
‘Bigger’ is out today through section1 /Flying Nun and you can download and stream here.
Fazerdaze is about to embark a series of live dates in Australia and Europe across September, October and November. The tour includes supports for DMA’s (tickets available here) and an appearance at the Yours and Owls Festival in Wollongong with a full band as well as some solo spots.
Details are below and tickets are available on Fazerdaze’s website. It’s a rare appearance this side of the ditch, the first since the release of her come back EP ‘Break!’ last year (see my review here), and this is a much anticipated tour.
Feature Photograph: Joey Clough
Got that great sound