Follow the arrows chalked into the asphalt. Dawdle down an alley up the road from Central Station. Be greeted by a charming collective. Bask in the evening sun. Sit in the gutter. Sip Belgian tinnies. Walk through a roller-door. Encounter a humble warehouse space – ‘The Assemblage’ – adorned with hanging knitted sweaters and Van Gogh t-shirts.

Creativity is always a win in my books. Caitlin Park certainly came out trumps in creating her own space tonight for the launch of her first EP, Warriors with Wild Hearts.

As everyone cosied up on the concrete floor, the film clip for "Warriors with Wild Hearts" was projected on the wall. The clip, directed by Ella Bancroft, features a team of Park’s face-painted mates, and a little girl chosen for her androgyny. Also on display this evening was an exhibition of collage prints by local artist Anne Chestnut, who designed the cover for Park’s EP.

Park took to the stage with a guitar and three piece band in tow: Eliza Fawcett working the samples, Miles Nicholas on drums, and Eirwen Skye, who appeared to play a different instrument every song whilst nailing backing vocals.

Park played a fully original set, showcasing her cut and paste ingenuity. Instantly absorbing everyone’s attention with the instrumental “How’s your wife?”, the set progressed to “Match.Wrist.Bird” – a chant-like song built on rhythmically repetitive samples of igniting flames, ticking clocks, and bird hoots. The nostalgic “Cauliflower Jack" was also a spine-tingling noteworthy track.

A few technical difficulties hampered the sound levels for the evening. Fortunately, they were rectified in Park’s final two songs: “I am a Night Bird”, and first single, “Warriors with Wild Hearts”, where we saw Park’s collage abstractions at their best.

Let’s face it – kitschy female singer-songwriters are a little done. As her biography states, she is “not your average neo-folk artist”. She takes the ambulatory singer-songwriter genre to a new level - without sounding pseudo, and never verging on boring. There is a depth to Park’s voice, and lyrical and compositional integrity, that makes her remarkably refreshing to any other artist floating around the singer-songwriter scene.

Park is currently recording her full-length. If tonight was anything to go by, the next 12 months will be exciting times for this talented lady.

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Caitlin Park’s first EP “Warriors with Wild Hearts” is available digitally from: http://caitlinpark.brokenstonerecords.com/album/warriors-with-wild-hearts

Video clip for "Warriors with Wild Hearts": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDxIzDDCSHU