Tussle
Ray Davies
Popfrenzy, 2013
Tussle was the first album for Sydney four-piece Day Ravies, released in 2013 with their label Popfrenzy. The band members (Lani Crooks, Caroline de Dear, Matt Neville and Sam Wilkinson) juggle vocals and songwriting. They also kick around in other bands: Beef Jerk, King Tears Mortuary and Sachet, to name a few. Tussle was well received and earned itself Album of the Week accolades on FBi Radio where it was also nominated for Album of the Year. The album is a melting pot of musical styles – shoegaze, jangle, indie rock and dream pop. It’s synthy and with punk elements stuck in for good measure.
The band’s name is a play on words and nod to the Kinks’ front man Ray Davies. Their sound is indebted to rock’n’roll history with a variety of influences from 90s shoegaze pyschedelia bands Yo La Tengo and My Bloody Valentine, to 80s Australia indie rock bands like The Go-Betweens. Day Ravies, however, stretch indie rock into new shapes with deft restraint and coy ingenuity.
Tussle is smooth and sultry. Play it while you waste a sunny afternoon between the sheets day-dreaming – it’s music to tussle to. It sounds blissful and summery like light filtering through leaves; it’s almost intoxicating and leaves you spacey, numb and elated. The band manages to balance and mix extremes. It’s easygoing then introspective, abrasive then soft. The album is cohesive and well polished, though at times the vocals are a little soft and it’s hard to make out the lyrics which is a shame.
“Double Act” and “Pinky” were the lead singles from the album. “Steeple Walk” and “I Don’t Mind” are especially ethereal, with sweet and gentle vocals from Lani and Caro. “Jasmine”, my favourite, is a forceful yet delicate track, a testament to the sweet flower itself. “Dasher” is a honey jumble but the heavyweight bass line acts like a spine keeping this delightful amorphous mass together.
All in all, Tussle is dreamy and lo-fi. This is music served in sepia tones. Like a glass of homemade lemonade, it leaves you with the aftertaste of youthful summer.
