Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Cars in Space
Ivy League
Cars in Space is the first new music released by Melbourne indie rock aces Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever since 2019’s In the Capital and Read my Mind. With rolling (yes), layered guitar riffs alongside a dreamy rhythm section and somewhat wistful, off-kilter vocals, the song is, unmistakably, classic RBCF.
Lead singer Fran Keaney says the single is about the “swirling words and thoughts before a breakup.” The introspective lyrics hide behind an inescapable cloud of jangling guitars which ebb and flow in pace and intensity before gradually reaching a gentle but uncertain climax by the song’s conclusion.
Accompanying the single is a music video directed by Nick McKinlay with fellow Oz indie darling Julia Jacklin as assistant director. The grainy footage of the band playing in a rural drive-in cinema is laid-back and charming but like the song, at times can be almost so reliable and well-crafted to the point of being forgettable.
Cars in Space sticks fervently to a formula that has been such a success for the band over their seven-year career. Fans will enjoy the new song; it embodies some of the best sounds and styles that the group is known for. But you also don’t really need to listen to it to know what it sounds like.
The new single comes on the eve of an Australian tour which kicks off this Friday in Perth at Chevron Lighthouse as part of the Perth Festival, where the band will be supported by Stella Donnelly.
LACHLAN HARDMAN
