- Galactic pop trio from Melbourne, Passerine, are bending of time itself with their latest EP, titled More Human. The EP is eight tracks long – four of Passerines’ original stuff, and four remixes from the likes of JamBau, Smile On Impact, Super Magic Hats and Ok Sure. The Melbourne trio -made up of Phoebe Dubar (on vocals and viola), Benjamin Murphy (producing), and Alex Gooding (hitting the drums)- already have a few releases under their belt, and this record really needed to serve as a stepping stone for their musical trajectory, something which it really achieves: their newer, spacey, indie-electronic sound is much more experimental than their earlier works.

First track on the record, More Human, is electronic space pop at its peak. Colossal pass lines pulse and blast under the shrill but still muted synths and powerful, catchy melodic hooks. Spooky sound effects litter the background arrangement, making the title ‘more human’, feel almost ironic with its intergalactic aesthetic. Synthetic Heart uses some more of the same dramatic, theatrical effects, but they feel more suppressed than on the first track. The bass line really stands out on this one – like something you would hear in a '90’s sci-fi movie and creates a really prominent visuals in your mind. White Shadows And Grey Noise is a bit fuzzy for my taste, but still works well in an overall sense, fitting in with the theme of the record. Undergrowth is a good fourth addition as it utilises some acoustic instruments in with the more soulful vocal style.

It’s nice to see an EP with such an obvious and directed theme – this kinda stuff can feel really overdone on a record, but Passerine have managed to keep it short and sweet; a polished package. The remixes help to keep everything from sounding too same-same but don’t distract too far from the sonic point they’re trying to make. However, I don’t know if they were wholly necessary – the record is just fine without them, especially as an EP. It could have been a cool idea for a B-Side disc rather than just including them on the main thing.

Passerine have a good thing going here – some people would debate that their sound is too far removed from their earlier work but I like bands that experiment rather than stay stagnant with their sound. Besides, anything that sounds like the soundtrack to a b-side '90’s anything is good in my books.

- Olivia Shoesmith.