Written by Fred Carlyle
Photo Credit: @zara_davies
Hailing from Perth’s southern bush-meets-beach town of Margaret River; Quite Loud - the home studio solo project of indie rocker Jack Irwin-Cordner - makes his official first step to an already promising discography with today’s release of his debut EP ‘Stages’.
Taking on artists such as Mac DeMarco and Royel Otis as notable inspirations; Stages, while being indie pop/rock at its core, offers an engaging listen throughout it’s five tracks. The EP balances itself phenomenally on the tightrope of subverting expectations with a subtle variety of genres and influences while also maintaining a cohesive flow by being consistent in tone and atmosphere.
EP cover art designed by @sociallydesigned
Each track on this album has a beautiful sincerity that’s sourced from Jack's vocals. One of the factors that makes this EP flow so well is his singing style that makes you feel instantly comfortable and at home as though you’re talking to a close friend. While Jack has the classic folk-component of having an emotionally powerful and tender singing style; it's the sleepy and groggy nuance in the way in which he delivers his voice that makes the listening experience so unique and engaging. On tracks like Alcohol and Past 8 for instance; there’s a duality of vigour and drowsiness in Jack’s voice that feels incredibly human and sincere, leading you to be captivated by his every word as he coats each track with this lovely feeling of haziness and serenity.
When giving us a bit of an idea about his EP, Jack told Couchdog that while most of the tracks feature references of death or the afterlife, the overall message that he wants us to extract from the EP is to just “have fun and to enjoy yourself while you’re still here!”
This objective of Jack’s to provide vulnerable and introspective stories while also upholding an uplifting feeling of hope is not only exceptionally done throughout this EP, it’s also one of the reasons that makes the listening experience so interesting. We’re given something that feels relaxing and easy listening yet grounded and emotionally complex, like giving someone sad news in a a patient, nurturing way.
Even in tracks like the closing ‘When We’re all Done’ which is arguably the most melancholic of the lot (given the bare boned, low-to-the-floor instrumentals and the pensive vocal delivery) you can’t help but feel glimmers of bittersweet hope in the track like as though EP’s telling us that ‘it’s alright to get lost in your head but there’s much better ways to spend your time.’
Another great example of Quite Loud’s songwriting and how he pairs a sense of hope with pensiveness can be found in the opening track ‘Stuck in a Stage’. He provides these verses soaked in crippling introspective thoughts such as ‘Am I too young to feel this way or am I too old to be stuck in a stage’ that, when paired with the track’s addictive and groovy guitar play almost tells you to take what he says with a grain of salt.
With a set up of guitars, drums, bass and the odd synth every now and then; one of the reasons that makes this EP flow so well while also ensuring that each track stands out from one another is how Jack implements the ole tactic of doing a lot with a little. You can tell that Jack is well versed with the guitar as the variation of genre and influences throughout the tracks is mostly done via the different styles in which he jams on the electric guitar. Tracks such as ‘Stuck in a Stage’ provide a Cure-esque 80’s alt rock riff that slithers throughout whole number 3’s ‘Dust’ delivers a hypnotic surfy and psychedelic tune that feels reminiscent of 2010's Sticky Fingers.
Stages make you want to be in the moment of something and to appreciate the little things instead of getting stuck in your head. The reflective nature of Quite Loud’s lyricism and the gentle, easy going soundscapes feels refreshingly grounding and human rather than going over the top at being either too melancholic or too uplifting. So from what I’ve gathered from Stages is receiving the perfect soundtrack for (or a good excuse to) get out of your house and to do one of those cliches of ‘smelling the flowers’ or ‘touching the grass’ whether it be just sitting at a beach by yourself or going camping with your mates.
Find Quite Loud on Instagram here
Listen to Stages here
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