Dreamy, ephemeral indie-pop with little dashes of post-post-punk – that’s the initial impression from first-listen of Melbourne-based Naked Face’s new single ‘Coming Home’, but on subsequent plays it’s clear the Australian three-piece have a lot more tricks up their collective sleeves and significantly more musical depth and character than that early, overly-simple description gives them credit for.
There’s elements of chilled Caribbean and even reggae to the chord work and arrangement of the verses, contrasting nicely with the bigger, chuggier power-chord overdrive of the choruses on ‘Coming Home’, singer Eddy Seagoon’s unique vocal delivery and delicately-picked guitar lines adding superbly to the tight groove of the rhythm section of Steve Slik and Nathan Stone, mashing-up a mixture of pop, punk, funk, jazzy chord voicings, and musical elements of The Police, the Young Knives, and Bloc Party amongst the audio influences here. It’s catchy and melodic, mixing in lyrical themes of isolation, social alienation, and distance whilst at the same time fusing a tight, focussed delivery and pumping out something that’s ultimately poppy, catchy, and delectable.
You can hear ‘Coming Home’ on Spotify, or check out the official video on YouTube. Follow Naked Face on Facebook or here.
Review by Alex Holmes
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