Australian band Blank Realm have returned with their latest record, Grassed Inn, which is the first since their sophomore release, 2012’s Go Easy. The quartet consists mainly of the Spencer siblings: vocalist/drummer Daniel Spencer, vocalist/keyboardist Sarah Spencer, and bassist Luke Spencer, as well as non-relative Luke Walsh.
The first track on the album is “Back To The Flood,” which features both Daniel and Sarah Spencer singing, showcasing many of the indie rock and pop elements found within their sound. This is followed up by “Falling Down The Stairs,” the band’s debut single off this LP, which serves as a good introduction to this record with its catchy simplicity, especially during the organ-infused bridges. “Baby Closes The Door” and “Even The Score” incorporate the most abstract tones found on the disc, as they both play around with samples and loops that are not found elsewhere, moving away from their traditional rock sound. “Baby Closes The Door” features unique beats and synths that have a static tone to them, while “Even The Score” opens with a bouncing, electric rhythm.
Grassed Inn follows the quartet’s relaxed, indie style. Though the disc only consists of eight songs, it spans the course of 45 minutes, with “Bulldozer Love,” the longest on the album, being just short of nine minutes long. This is without a doubt much too long of a running time for this track. Before long it begins to feel dragged out, as there is nothing that really changes throughout the song to keep the listener’s attention. Unfortunately, many of the tracks are like this, and feel as if they have overstayed their welcome, if only by a little.
In A Word: Mellow
