Melbourne bedroom pop artist Static Animal have recently released their sophomore EP, Morning Sounds, the follow-up to last year’s self-titled debut on Sports Day Records. The reclusive and secretive project, led by Michael Gibbon, make music that’s shrouded in an early morning hush, a rebellion against the loud and selfish self-promotion that’s often so prevalent online.
Morning Sounds hints at its themes more stylistically than lyrically, what Sports Day Records describe as “the result of anxious thoughts from the middle of the night and in the early hours of the dawn”. However, to my ears, anxiety is not the primary emotion on the release, rather the hazy and vague atmosphere recalls the quiet moments where the world slows down around you and allows some self-reflection. This is enhanced by Static Animal’s use of atmospheric recordings, utilising what the label describe as “found sounds and field recordings from the Melbourne coast” to add depth to their music and “show off how emotion can be captured in small bursts of sound”.
Opening song ‘Runner’ is a fuzzed out kraut-tinged instrumental which soars in its own dark style, while ‘Country Room’ introduces Gibbon’s vocals in what proves to be an understated pop gem, all grooving guitar and dreamy, gauzy vocals which flutter just outside of hearing, allowing your brain to pull the pareidolia effect and conjure words of your own.
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The pop theme continues on ‘Hours’, a soft and mumbled number that will regardless get you tapping your feet. ‘Spring Cassette’ sounds like a drive through a winter night, the heater warming your skin as you rush past shadowy snow banks and flurries of icy flakes, all lit by the sodium glow of the sleeping city, while ‘Evergreen’ is a nod to the changing seasons – a slow and sultry track that sounds like a cool pastel sunrise before the heat of the day.
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Morning Sounds is being released on super limited cassette by Sports Day Records. You can also get it digitally via the Static Animal Bandcamp page.