- Flowers in a Vase is the inconspicuously brilliant debut EP from Melbourne’s Palm Springs. I say inconspicuously because in terms of physical release it was limited to just thirty copies and a hometown launch, which is surprisingly low key for an EP that features Harmony’s Erica Dunn on lead vocal and songwriting duties along with Raquel Solier AKA Fatti Frances on drums and Sara Retallik from Jimmy Tait and Golden Syrup on bass.

The seven songs were recorded in a single fourteen hour day live in The Drones’ studio with their guitarist Dan Luscombe serving as producer, engineer and mixing engineer. There’s six original compositions and one surprisingly un-ironic Randy Newman cover all clocking in at just under twenty-five minutes.

Dunn’s electric guitar consistently toes the line between dirging riffs and lilting fingerpicking, sometimes incorporating elements of both at the same time. Her songwriting is up there with some of the best alt-country acts around today, from Angel Olsen to Paul Kelly.

Sweet Concrete, which has an accompanying video, and the EP’s title track are both notable and could hold their own as stand-alone singles but the real standout in the collection comes in the form of a re-recorded version of an older song of theirs, Winning And Losing, with its delicate dynamic shifts and infectious hook.

The closing cut Last Night I Had A Dream is the aforementioned Randy Newman cover. Though it ends Flowers in a Vase with quite a beautiful song, somehow -something about it- just leaves more to be desired.

On the strength of this EP I really hope that Palm Springs get the chance to record a full length album in between the time spent on their various other projects. When they do, I hope it gets the attention and platform it deserves, because this band deserve a lot.

- Nathan Kearney.