There has been a lot of buzz about young indie band Cloud Control over the past few years, and with their debut album Bliss Release, they have well and truly lived up to the hype.
Hailing from the Blue Mountains, Cloud Control first began to create a stir following the release of their debut EP and its subsequent singles “Vintage Books” and “Buffalo Country”. Having spent a couple of years establishing themselves as Australia’s ‘next big things’, thanks in small part to a few notable gigs (including sharing the stage with Supergrass and Dappled Cities), in 2009 the band released the first taste of the debut LP: the stirring, mellow single, “Gold Canary”. With its chorus full of hooks, blissful guy/girl harmonies and quirky catchiness, the song quickly earned accolades in Australia and abroad,; a shining introduction to an equally exceptional record.
Put simply, Bliss Release is a triumph. With a sound that combines the folkish psychedelia of The Byrds with the lush, warm harmonies of Fleet Foxes, the result is a genuinely original and confident collection of indie folk/pop songs. There are very few dull moments on this release – each track is assuredly melodious, wonderfully harmonious and instantly infectious – from the uplifting pop ditty “There’s Nothing in the Water We Can’t Fight” and danceable, energetic second single “This is What I Said”, to the more stripped back, vocally rich “JustFor Now” and the sprawling and emotional “Hollow Drums”. The blended voices of Alister Wright and Heidi Lenffer are a standout, augmenting the album’s blissfully organic and pastoral, summery feel.
Cloud Control have achieved a sound which is both classic and cleverly original, and their debut full length release a remarkably effective and well crafted record for such a young band. Bliss Release may have come weighed with heady expectations, but it has met each and everyone one of them.
Believe the hype.
Review Score: 9/10
