A seriously great debut.
This is the most pained music Liam ‘Snowy’ Halliwell has released into the world and the result is a wonderfully captivating and uplifting listen. It’s also his most patient collection of songs, often meandering, at times nearly completely still.
While there are moments of fast-paced, Tote-inspired rock here, the weight of loss, love and the dread of existing in an inexplicable world is fully realised throughout Audio Commentary in a manner that’s mostly quiet, calm and relatable.
The production of this album is relaxed but to the point, entirely self-recorded and self-produced by Halliwell, making for a record full of lo-fi charm that feels warm and perfectly in line with his confessional and deeply-moving lyricism. Add Halliwell’s subtly-complex guitar playing alongside the clever contributions of band members Dylan Young, Emma Russack and Nat Pavlovic and we’ve got a serene, transcendental experience from start to finish. Recently released single ‘Love You To Death’ is the album’s best song, with Halliwell whispering his way from epiphany to resignation and back again with every line.
Audio Commentary is a record made for the love of making music and made for people to find solace in pain and heartbreak. “Some things won’t get easier, they’ll just change,” sings Halliwell on ‘Never Change’. In a roundabout way, it’s moments like this that allow the listener to see the light at the end of the tunnel – whether or not that’s the intention is, probably crucially, left to interpretation. Perfectly timed, Snowy.
