INTRODUCING: Paisley Park

Radar came across Paisley Park a while back, but have only just now found time to write about them. A new five-piece act, the band might be named after a song by Prince but certainly that’s where the comparisons with the Purple One end – a tender, gorgeous folk-pop outfit, the band list Sydney as their hometown on Facebook, but enough of them hail from Wollongong that they’ve flitted across Radar’s radar.

Their debut EP, ‘Grand Canopy,’ is available for free on Soundcloud, and it’s pretty amazing. Comparisons to Sufjan Stevens, Mumford & Sons and Boy & Bear are easy enough to make, with much of the EP sitting squarely in the bright, happy and optimistic folk-pop that has been so invading radio as of late; but it is second track ‘Little Bit,’ which crosses into a more emotional, heartfelt and lovelorn sadness, that is the standout here. Like a fleshed-out version of Bon Iver, still tender but with a more full-bodied sound, the gently picked acoustic guitars and stuttering, booming drumbeats under layered vocals and strained yells speak of lost love and heartache.

They’re just one of a number of similar folk-pop acts doing the rounds now in Wollongong, alongside the likes of Bec Sandridge, Yetis and Round The Corner, showing the diversity in the local music scene today (check out the next issue of UOW’s ‘Tertangala’ for a more in-depth look at this idea!), and are certainly one of the more interesting acts to emerge in recent months.

Paisley Park play Yours & Owls with Beaten Bodies on May 30th. Click here for more details.

Advertisements