There’s a fairground whirl to the new track ‘Who Are You’ from the youthful The Tinderboxers, straight out of Hobart, which canters along at a jaunty pace with its Hammond organ/leslie speaker whirl and unbridled exuberance. This is classically formed indie pop fare with a beating heart, relatively raw, charmingly earnest but bristling with vibrancy, veracity and an enhanced songwriting gene.
The title is not a question, more an exclamation of disbelief, with the expressive lyrics portraying a deep sense of hurt:
Set the scene the beach was all so quiet
Yeah I was there we were trying to stop you from drowning
Do you remember that, you say ‘man, no go get f@cked’
So hard to be around you, so sad to be around you
Who are, who are you
Who are, who are you
Singer Alex Buktenica says of the track:
‘Who Are You?’ came about after a messy night dealing with someone’s pretty terrible behavior. It’s about realising when it’s time to cut ties and move on.
The result is something charmingly antipodean, drawing on a wealth of indie pop bands from both sides of the Tasman sea and reflecting the exciting music scene blossoming in the southern isle (think A. Swayze & The Ghosts, Christopher Coleman and the Great Escape, EWAH and the Vision of Paradise, and Luca Brasi to name but a few).
I immediately think of the thrill and wackiness of Split Enz – there’s an ineffable charm and acute sense of melody touched with a tinge of self-deprecating sense of humour – evident in the fun video referencing Scooby Doo tales. The video goes live later today:
This quality augurs well for this exciting young band. ‘Who Are You?’ is out now and available to download and stream here.
The Tinderboxers will be launching the single at The Gasometer Hotel in naarm/Melbourne on April 14th, with support from Tamara and the Dreams and Hot Glue, and then play their hometown Hobart and Launceston on April 22nd and May 7th – full details and tickets available here.
