If you have had your fill of indie landfill, cleanse your sonic palette with the latest release, Creeping, from Melbourne’s most affecting melodicists, Royston Vasie.
With synth melodies sweeter than honey/Grandaddy, soulfully sludgy ennui in the same vein as Dinosaur Jr, sweepingly angular guitar licks that give Johnny Marr a run for his money and a modernist touch as a courtesy of the Jaws and Peace-esque indie accordance, Creeping is a smorgasbord of influence which amalgamates to portray Royston Vasie as one of the most promising up-and-coming artists on the airwaves in 2024.
After releasing their first two albums through Courtney Barnett’s now-defunct label, Milk! Records, Creeping marks a shift in their musical style, which previously oscillated between the garage ethos of Black Lips and the shoegaze of early The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
If the outro leaves you aching for more, mark your calendar for the release of the fourpiece’s upcoming album, Through the Canopies, which will arrive on May 15.
Creeping will inch its way onto the airwaves on February 15; stream the single on SoundCloud.
Review by Amelia Vandergast