Album Review: No Mono - Islands, Part 1

Taking a leisurely two years to find their groove as No Mono, Melbourne's Tom Snowdon (formerly of Lowlakes) and Tom Iansek (#1 Dads/Big Scary) have been drip feeding songs from their debut album since late last year to increasingly ravenous responses. The wait has been worth it.

Islands, Part 1 is best enjoyed horizontally to allow Snowdon's astonishing vocals to cascade over and pass through you, transcending gender, phasing in and out of focus like James Blake having a spirit child with Anohni. Take Butterflies, Iansek unsettlingly toys with the time signature in broken pulses that dance around Snowdon crying, "I need your fucking love to save me". Or there's the filthy bass teased initially in Water's Edge, which returns fully formed with nu-wave synth joy in Future, rolling like a reflective John Hughes teen-movie montage.

The minimalism of this album is its strength. Like the band itself over the last couple of years, it drifts by at its own woozy pace, with a sprinkling of piano here and the swish of a broom as percussion there (in Otherside). Hopefully the suggestion of a second volume won't be too far away.