`Strange Life` is the new album by the Australian trio Howling Bells, vocalist/guitarist Juanita Stein, her brother and guitarist Joel Stein and drummer Glenn Moule and their first in over twelve years. The band`s sound has been described as anything from “melodic blues” to “country-goth.”
We are led into the album with ‘Unbroken’ which waswritten as a love letter of sorts to the spirit and staying power of the band. It`s a delightful, dreamy listen with a real vulnerability in the vocal range but with an underlying strength held in check just below the surface. There`s a further otherworldly feel to `Heavy Lifting’ a number that takes aim at the entitled and the opportunist.
`Angel`, a tale of romantic struggle and self-reclamation has a retro tinged vibe and is almost waltz like at times as it sways along with organ hues and a brief guitar solo. The gentle and quite ethereal `The Looking Glass` touches on social turmoil.
‘Sacred Land` according to Juanita “is a war song. I’m not an outrageously political musician, but I’m deeply moved and paralysed by pain and there’s just so much of it in the world. It also feels very much like an homage to where we grew up in Australia. There was no education or real acknowledgement in our schools about the wiping out of our indigenous people and then you get older and you realise just how grave and tragic the reality of that is.” The track itself is powerfully robust with a pounding rhythmic texture and lyrics that are shared in an almost defiant attitude. We return to a more vulnerable preoccupied state with `Halfway Home` a reflective offering which is delightfully narrative and descriptive.
‘Melbourne’ is a number where Juanita documents the traumatic day she lost her father, a track that has a lightness about it rather than being a sorrowful and despondent meditation. The melodic ‘Dreamer’ appears to be another portrait of survival and resilience.
`Chimera` according to Juanita is “A song that really speaks to the very specific experience I’ve had of being a musician.” The Chimera, a fire-breathing hybrid of lion, goat, and serpent from Greek mythology, symbolises chaos, impossible, and hybridity. The composition has a kind of shimmer about it and is fairly absorbing as it ruminates on real life experiences. We enjoy more of a rock out with `Sweet Relief` with thumping drums, chugging riffs, and matter of fact vocals.
The album closes with `Light Touch` whose title kinda sums up the song both musically and lyrically.
The singer has shared that ‘Strange Life’ is sprinkled with intimate snapshots, and traverses it all with heart and humanity. “When you’re moving really fast you don’t have time to reflect, but between the last album and now, becoming a mother and all those things in fusing together has made for a really profound reflection of my life and the music we’ve made in the band.”
It`s been a while since Howling Bells were on our radar and `Strange Life` is a welcome return. It`s a really absorbing listen, almost dream pop with a vulnerability shared in the vocal delivery but when they rock out, they rock out. The band are heading out on a fairly intense tour in support of the release and have eight
in-store appearances this month followed by a fourteen date UK tour across March and April.
A tour that will be a must see.
Rating 8.5/10
