Listening to Dark Storm, it’s easy for one to surmise that Hayley Mary possesses one of the most enthralling voices in indie music right now. Combined with her evocative, off-kilter and vivid lyrics, Mary’s voice is a distinctly powerful and expressive instrument.
Listening to Dark Storm, it’s easy for one to surmise that Hayley Mary possesses one of the most enthralling voices in indie music right now. Combined with her evocative, off-kilter and vivid lyrics, Mary’s voice is a distinctly powerful and expressive instrument. “Thought I was equipped with a rain-ship, and a star-ship and a fire-ship… no one told me the end of the line could be only emptiness,” sings Mary in the title track of the Sydney quartet’s third EP, “and now I sleep in a bed of blood, down in the deep, the rolling sea”. The astounding title track elicits a moment of unnerving beauty as Mary’s alluring voice soars atop a rich arrangement defined by majestic keys and cascading percussion.
Mace Spray is a masterful stroke in conveying the abstract symbolisms of affection; the graceful tact in which Mary positions the female as the object of affection is both moving and inspired. Mace Spray is simultaneously heart-breaking and reassuring, no more evident than in the lyric: “She loves me more than anyone who wouldn’t lay a hand /She keeps macy spray, for you can’t rely on the common man”. While Mary’s articulation of romanticism swings between the startling and intangible, the band’s epic instrumentation espouses an inviting majesty that envelops the listener, as it does in Sahara Mahala.
Intertwined with the immediacy of their pop hooks and atmospheric propensity are the underlying notions of gender and relational politics that represent the markedly unique and clever inner workings of The Jezabels. Even more impressive is the cohesive potency of the EP’s sonic journey, irrespective of the diversions in mood and lyrical tone demonstrated by its last two tracks.
The Jezabels’ quirkiness pours out from A Little Piece and She’s So Hard. In the latter, Mary sings: “I will go out, steal the piñata, if I wanna / All that really matters is love, but if that’s all you really care about, then tough / I guess love wasn’t what I’m looking for / I think self pity is a state of mind”. The frontwoman speaks of relational awkwardness and complexities with neither pretension nor judgement – rendering her a relatable and dignified songwriter.
That these perplexing sentiments and candid tales are harnessed to such thoughtfully-crafted arrangements and majestic pop nous positions The Jezabels as one of our most exciting and talented local alt-pop entities.
The Jezabels new album The Storm is out now.
