Rolling Stone Australia September 2017

September, 2017 RollingStoneAus.com | Rolling Stone | 39

SOUNDS LIKE:Synth-enveloped Cincinnati

sadcore filtered through a Central Victorian

winter.

FOR FANS OF: The National, War On

Drugs, Shining Bird

WHY YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION:

Comprising frontman Anthony White,

brother Francis, and childhood mate Kieran

Daly, the Bendigo trio draw inspiration

from every facet of life in their hometown

• inviting comparisons with Arcade Fire
  and landing a Triple J Unearthed slot at
  Groovin the Moo in the process. Debut

albumGreater City, Greater Loveis both

a widescreen portrait of greater Bendigo,

and a stark dissection of cloistered small

town insularity and racism. “It’s about small

minds,” Anthony says. “I think we’re more

of a footy town – it’s actually been a bless-

ing for us, ’cause we’ve really dug deep to

rise above that.”

THEY SAY: “In 2014, we booked out a farm-

house on Lake Eildon and went to record

the album over five days. We had really shit

gear, and we just embraced it. We didn’t

have fancy synthesisers or anything, so we

just went with what we had, taking lessons

from Springsteen’s Nebraska. We tried to

make the songs short stories and narra-

tives.” The intersection of DIY spontaneity

and taut songwriting vision makes for a

heady mix.

HEAR FOR YOURSELF: Expansive album

template “Sirens (Parts 1 & 2)”. An Aus-

tralian heir to Matt Berninger, Anthony

imports more pathos into the line “don’t

fall asleep with your dick in your hand”

than many bands manage across an entire

album. GARETH HIPWELL

Fountaineer