Australia’s answer to the developing genre blending of traditional indie music: Spacey Jane’s long awaited second studio album, Here Comes Everybody, certainly did not disappoint, writes Holly Madden.
I was fairly late to the Spacey Jane party, discovering their music only in 2020 when their
first album Sunlight was released. It was a lockdown project that seamlessly combined fresh
sounds of indie rock and pop, with introspective lyrics born in the uncertainty of the early
pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, Here Comes Everybody is equally as interesting an album. Spacey Jane have
built on everything in their debut, which worked well, but the harmonies are even stronger,
the melodies more exciting and the music more layered. Everything about this album
screams a band that is increasingly comfortable with the recognition they are rightfully
getting.
This album is a natural development for Caleb, Peppa, Ashton, and Kieran, as Spacey Jane’s
lyrics have always maintained the core theme of catharsis. Caleb, the band’s frontman,
guitarist, and primary songwriter set out to create an album that reiterates that it’s okay to
not be okay. The juxtaposition of the extroverted sounds typical of the indie rock genre with the personal and diary-esque lyrics, result in an album that experiments with the formula of pop
music in the 2020s.
Spacey Jane use Here Comes Everybody as an avenue to engage in more pop sounds that differ from
their previous work. The opening tracks of the album, Sitting up and Lunchtime, showcase
this through the guitar and bass dynamics throughout. Listening to these songs for
the first time during this recent heatwave, I immediately felt the absence of a pint and
wished I was in a beer garden.
However, the vulnerability in the lyrics of these early songs, going through the motions and
keeping up a façade, is more evident as the album progresses. The transition from Lunchtime to Lots of Nothing signals a change for the album. This self-aware track, written in early lockdown, focuses on coming to terms with your own personal faults in life. In classic Spacey Jane style, these pensive lyrics are paired with an upbeat, guitar driven track which engages in more alternative styles than any other track so far. It's a great listen.
As the album continues, the lyrical themes of perseverance, and coming to terms with situations that are inevitably faced in early adulthood remain, as do the incredible background vocals (like on It’s Been a Long Day), and guitar heavy tracks, which increasingly experiment with some alt indie sounds (Not What You Paid For). The remaining tracks continue this theme of positive mental health representation which has been so evident in this album, and in this era of Spacey Jane. Given the last 2.5 years it is refreshing to hear a band deal with such personal topics in their songs, these introspective lyrics are wholly welcome.
"...a perfect mix of catharsis and indie rock for any fans."
Pulling Through is a stand out track in many ways. It closes the album on a note of hope and
perseverance: the song depicts comforting a friend dealing with grief. Caleb’s lyricism
paired with Peppa’s vocals make for a great listen. Pulling Through epitomises Here Comes Everybody in many ways, it is centred around friendship, has a strong foundation in indie rock, and highlights the talents of the band; but more than anything it is, for lack of a better term, about pulling through. This is album is certainly a triumph for Spacey Jane with regards to their overall aims as songwriters: a perfect mix of catharsis and indie rock for any fans.
Holly Madden
Edited by: Caradoc Gayer
In article video courtesy of Spacey Jane via Youtube. Cover image courtesy of Spacey Jane via Facebook.
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