We Set Sail are a firm favourite here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia and if there is any certainty in life, it’s that good things don’t last for ever. We Set Sail have announced their final departure into the Queensland sunset and ‘Broken Umbrella’ is their penultimate release before anchors up, with their last ever show on 8 July 2023 at Brisbane’s The Zoo.
‘Broken Umbrella’ is part of a farewell 7″ physical vinyl to be made available at the gig – the second side to be released closer to the date. It is as beautiful and stately as anything the band has released.
Commencing with a spoken introduction, gentle harmonics and crystalline delicate twirls of guitars introduce the velvet yearning vocals as the song slowly builds into a majestic, driving epic. The vocals and harmonies build like a spark into something furious and intense. We Set Sail manage to infuse arching melodies and a pulsating beat underneath the surface of the song. A spoken track re-occurs as a sort of intermission before leading onto a quieter reflective section as the singer says:
I should have knocked on wood as hard as I could
It’s dramatic and theatrical, building up again to an explosive dénouement:
‘Broken Umbrella’ is out now through the magical False Peak Records. This track serves to underline the immanent loss to the music scene as We Set Sail is set to depart. Details of the final gig are below and you can get tickets here.
And why is the band sailing out of sight after 15 years? We’ll get to that at a later date.
Feature Photograph: Luke Henery. Art work by @_kensmith.
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