After making their live debut with a handful of sold-out shows in Melbourne earlier this year, Springtime – the new Australian group comprising Gareth Liddiard (The Drones, Tropical Fuck Storm), Jim White (Xylouris White, Dirty Three, PJ Harvey) and Chris Abrahams (The Necks) are releasing their self-titled debut album via Joyful Noise Recordings.
Springtime is the culmination of three renowned, multidisciplinary musicians each known for distinct styles and sounds – a new endeavour that is as much a tonal experiment as it is a meditation on modern-day absurdity. Their debut album combines elements of art rock, experimental noise, poignant lyricism, free jazz and improvisation to craft austere portraits of a world paralyzed by shellshock. It’s as monstrously ravishing as it is clumsy in its elegance.
Several of Springtime’s songs were made in collaboration between the band and Liddiard’s uncle, Ian Duhig, a world renowned poet who has twice won The National Poetry Competition (in 1987 and 2000), the UK’s most prestigious poetry award. Duhig’s poems laid the groundwork for the songs “Viaduct Love Suicide” and “Jeanie In A Bottle” (the latter featuring vocals from The Drones & Tropical Fuck Storm’s Fiona Kitschin), which were later crafted into sprawling songs led by Liddiard’s wild-eyed vocals and guitar work as White and Abrahams lay down stuttering strings, fizzling electronics, and feathery piano melodies.
Words run into each other with little regard for one another’s injuries. There are sounds which come out of nothingness to wallop and brutalize their fellow sounds. The live recording of Will Oldham’s “West Palm Beach” is treated with love and respect and would certainly be met with open arms by its author.
Springtime teased news of the album earlier this year with the release of standalone live track “Penumbra”, which was recorded at Brunswick Ballroom Melbourne, Australia on the 13th of May 2021, their second live show ever, and garnered the attention from publications like NME, Cyclic Defrost, Post-Trash, & Beat, among others.
