Ball Park Music
Ball Park Music
Prawn Records/Inertia Music
On Ball Park Music’s self-titled album you fall in love, get your heart broken, and feel with your whole spirit the beauty that music can offer.
The pure artfulness of the Brisbane five-piece’s sixth studio album kicks in from the opening track Spark Up!, which introduces the release with incredible energy and passion. It also sets the tone for an over-arching nihilistic philosophy, espoused in the lyrics: “Bought the items that you told me would enrich me/ But it shits me I feel exactly the same/ I shouldn’t have to have a crystal clear philosophy/ I shouldn’t have to demonstrate that/ Yeah, we come in peace/ Life is short so spark up!”
There is an interesting amount of diversity throughout the tracks, always leaving you wondering where it will go next. From grungy garage-band tracks such as Head Like a Sieve to dreamy synth melodies like KatKit, there is no shortage in experimentation and exploration of sound on the journey. The shared quality in the guitar riffs and drumming beats are consistently enjoyable though, particularly on I Feel Nothing. Frontman Sam Cromack has a delightfully familiar vocal range, reminiscent of Julian Casablancas and Alex Turner but in a way that allows him to carve a unique identity.
The haunting Cherub signals a significant change in direction for the album with a sleepier melody that builds powerfully into an emotional climax that would not sound out of place on a coming-of-age film. Cromack’s heartfelt lyrics are relatable in a way that makes the listener feel like the protagonist, as he laments: “Happiness weighs a tonne/ It’s all speckled in luck and heavy as fuck/ I never could pick it up.”
The album’s diversity allows us to listen to it as a collective or in parts and still come away with the same sense of tone. The disjointed nature feels like being taken on a chaotic journey, on a rollercoaster that only goes up.
Ball Park Music’s new album ticks the boxes for a plethora of reasons, including the lyrical composure and the raw emotive energy that can be felt from both the high energy half of the album and the acoustic folky half alike. Spark up!
JOSHUA DONOVAN
