A midnight drive, and a broken relationship. This isn’t the bright sunny atmosphere we’re used to when we think of the Gold Coast, but a more complex look at the evolution of a relationship. Gold Coast troupe Ivey release their love + miscellanea EP, a collection of tunes that cumulates to an exploration of all the vicissitudes of a relationship. Twisting bright melodies into an atmospheric, vulnerable - yet still catchy – release, they show off songwriting skills far beyond their years with a stunning record release.
After peppering the past year with single release, Ivey come smashing through with a full fleshed out record, with a vision that one usually only finds on an LP. Featuring tracks we’ve already heard before, ‘Talk Talk’, ‘Scream’, ‘Midnight’, ‘Bodies’ and ‘Valentine’, the EP truly comes together as a body of work.
With intro, ‘Collections(Intro)’, the sampled voice recordings of ‘there’s so much stuff going on in my brain/I guess people think I’m a bit loud/but I just say I like who I am’ sets the tone from the get-go. The eerie recordings set the atmosphere for the record from the top, we’re not in for anything generic here.
‘Talk Talk’ is powerful opening to a record, speaking of hope, of curiosity shouting ‘I could be the one/baby could you be the other?’ It really shines with a bright synth work that embodies the initial rush of adrenaline when that new special someone. Though things quickly descend into ‘I Hate U’, a very angst filled head rush of thoughts of being caught between a rock (loving someone) and a hard place (hating that same someone).
The dreamy harmonic blends of vocalists Millie Perks and Lachlan McGuffie both blend the tracks together beautifully. Perk’s vocals send the songs to the sky, with an angelic timbre that allows them to soar, but the consistent beat heavy underlays keep the sound grounded and injects a certain bounce regardless of lyrical content.
The standout track for the record is previously released single ‘Fall Apart’, that finds itself in the more tumultuous side of a relationship. Things have ended, but oh boy did they not end well. ‘Why did we fall in love/why did we go this far’ asks those questions we’ve all asked before – but we find ourselves singing these pining lyrics with such glee. Truly tipping Hottest 100 potential for this one.
Rounding out the release comes a couple of remixes and an acoustic of their 2019 single ‘Bodies’ that hammers home the broodiness underlying those seductive synths. Ivey know how to construct mood perfectly through their work.
The EP goes above and beyond a simple collection of songs from the Gold Coast troupe. It presents a clear vision beyond their years. Bringing a full bodied, synth filled sound that shines brightly, but layering heavy beats and angst that broods over the indie pop sounds, Ivey have already found that perfect ratio of summer synths and broody lyricism.
love + miscellanea is a record for late night drives, and drunken mistakes. There’s grit, there’s honesty and there’s mood that bucks trends on the usual warm indie-pop and warps it into a compelling and addictive record.
4/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ivey love + miscellanea shows
Buy tickets for Ivey's upcoming tour via their website.
Sat Oct 31 – BBQ Bazaar, Gold Coast, QLD
Fri Nov 6 – The Met Hotel, Toowoomba, QLD
Fri Nov 13 – Woolly Mammoth Mane Stage, Brisbane, QLD
Fri Nov 27 – Solbar, Sunshine Coast, QLD