Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Hope Downs

In a genre constantly seeking fresh offerings that provide even the slightest semblance of solidity, the debut of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever arrives like a bolt from the blue.

Fran Keaney, Joe White, and Tom Russo have known each other since their high school days and, some time later, recruited Jonh Russo (Tom's brother) and Marcel Tussie (White's roommate) to form RBCF. They start performing live around Melbourne (the band's city of origin), their name begins to generate interest, and they release two EPs, the first of which (the splendid "Talk Tight") catches the attention of a label as lively as Sub Pop.

And so the five reach this debut, baptized "Hope Downs," and it is immediately a great surprise. Composed of ten amazing numbers of great quality, "Hope Downs" is an album that starts from a solid jangle pop base, heavily indebted (as is 90% of the genre, after all) to the R.E.M. I.R.S. period.

However, as already mentioned, it is only a base, albeit a very solid one; the Australian band enriches the foundation of their sound with wild shards of alt rock, punk, indie, country, garage, and new wave, creating an incredibly homogeneous blend supported by high-level songwriting, whether the guitars are racing ("An Air Conditioned Man", the single "Talking Straight" - the most R.E.M.-like of all -, "Time In Common") or when the tones become more subdued, yet always lively ("Sister’s Jeans", "Cappuccino City").

There are no fillers, nor are there any tracks that show any significant lack of tension; the quintet always travels on a high qualitative level, and the impression is that of being in front of a seasoned band perfectly aware of their capabilities, certainly not a group of near-beginners.

Australia is once again confirmed as an increasingly fertile land when it comes to quality guitar pop rock. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are no exception at all; on the contrary, they deliver one of the most convincing debuts of the year.

A great record that will be hard to ignore this summer.

Best track: "Mainland"