“Talking through the demonstration/ I was holding on to your hand/ Bloody Marys while we're in the air/ Hail Marys as we land…” –
Even without the evocative lyrical imagery, the opening title track’s instrumentation gives us all the wistful feels we need to know exactly what it’s about.
Souvenir was written during Melbourne’s endless lockdowns, while Ruby Jones – previously of Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes – reflected on past international touring stints, while trapped at home.
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Feeling Of Falling reimagines Covid as a fickle lover. Featuring joyous tambourine, slide guitar, jaunty drumming and inquisitive bass, it’s a heartbreak song masked by cheery backing. “You don’t love me,” sung en masse, magnifies the hurt. Jess Deluca and Loretta Miller supply stunning BVs throughout the entire record, providing empowering support.
Jones’ family is based in East Gippsland, so her experiences of the 2019 bushfires that devastated the region also informed her latest set. Instrumentation is often cathartic, with meticulously placed percussive flourishes enlivening each song.
When her mum moved house, she sent Jones a truckload of belongings to sift through, which inspired Double Feature: a postcard from her St Kilda-based, 17-year-old self: “I’m working in the secondhand store/ But I got big dreams/ I’m 17 and I know everything.” This one’s mid-song vibeshift lands like a reassuring hug.
Elsewhere, Not Mine shares fantasies about an “almost-love”, Bad Ideas is riddled with Catholic guilt and Breaking My Own Heart explores the agonising torture of “watching friends remain in toxic relationships”.
Grief and longing are recurring themes throughout, but these songs are danceable enough to shake off your woes, too.
LABEL: INDEPENDENT
RELEASE: 6 MAY
