This five-track self-titled EP by Sydney band Lillye manages somehow to transcend decades. Rooted firmly by the vocal sound of Virginia Lillye in the ’80s and ’90s, it’s most probably the sharp instrumental ebbs and flows that thrust the music into the here and now.
If you’re a sucker for shredding guitar riffs and hooks that won’t let you go, you’ll love the intros and choruses.
If you want atmospheric playing that borders on the gothic, you’ll adore the track ‘Mistakes‘. If you’re a punter who likes your rock quirky, the staccato rhythms of ‘TTTalk‘ will get you in.
The members of Lillye have some pretty serious credentials between them, and the experience shows. We can almost forgive Virginia Lillye for appearing on The Voice when she channels both Nina Gordon from iconic band Veruca Salt and Chrissie Amphlett from Australia’s own Divinyls. Listen to the first track on the EP ‘Sik of U‘, and the influences of these rock goddesses are undeniable.
There is an aspect of the authenticity that this band engenders, and that in itself is refreshing.
Lillye is not trying to force a style, and it certainly seems that these music-makers are the genuine article. Every now and then a band comes along that makes the sounds it loves, and not the insipid excuse for music executives want to hear, and that’s a very worthwhile thing.
Release Year: 2014
Label: self-released
Category: EP
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Sharon Brookes
