New Music Review #29: ‘Old Friends’ by In Good Hands
It’s a feeling many will be all too familiar with. Maybe it’s a Friday night, you’re having a beer and unwinding after a hell of a week. The boss has been riding you at work, your landlord won’t fix the air conditioning, and Monday already feels too close. On the cusp of a quarterlife crisis, you wonder: when did life get this hard?
It's the feeling that Sydney indie rock band In Good Hands capture with caustic precision and soft hands on their new track ‘Old Friends’.
Australian has produced no shortage of wonderful coastal indie rock in the past decade, and In Good Hands fit nicely alongside the likes of The Rions, DICE, Pacific Avenue and The Dreggs.
Their best comp, however, is WA phenoms Spacey Jane – a lofty compliment given that band’s incomparable run over the past few years, but a fair one given In Good Hands’ ability to deliver evocative, melancholic lyrics in a sunny, shimmery package.
‘Old Friends’ combines the bright and bubbly pop stylings of Lime Cordiale with the weathered, bittersweet lyrics of Noah Kahan to craft a beautifully nostalgic and deeply moving tribute to good times past and rediscovering joy. The ultimate message is: Don’t drown in the misery of lost memories. Use them to find that bliss again. Lead singer Jack Kenyon’s voice is warm and soulful, replete with a quietly persuasive power.
One to watch… go ahead and let In Good Hands become your newest friends.
And a few others:
‘And Always’ by Warbaby: An uber-funky and transcendent piece of experimental instrumentalism – like a wordless Muse, Warbaby crafts a sonic world of intergalactic cowboys, cacti orbiting a far-off saloon, horses of plasma galloping across a vast nebula. Something to get lost in.
‘Pages’ by Ms. Thandi: Following her breakout last year, this is an absurdly groovy and bewitchingly seductive track from an artist quickly becoming the hottest property in the Australian R&B scene.
‘You Don’t Exist’ by False London: At just over 2 minutes, this is a burst of soaring emo pop-rock – the juxtaposition of the tremoring, longing vocal with the defiance of the lyrics perfectly reflecting the conflict and repeated heartbreak of the break up that won’t end.