Mr Sunshine – The Autumn Hearts (self released)
It’s brash, bracing psychedelic pop from a Newcastle band that deserves to be known outside their hometown.
You won’t find a big digital footprint when you go looking for their backstory, but don’t let that stop you. The Autumn Hearts formed in 2016 and are seasoned players with songwriters Ed Peters (bass, guitar, vocals) and Dave Robson (guitar, vocals) at their core.
Members were in a Newcastle band The Longknives who were active in the 1980s, and The Autumn Hearts have a solitary eponymous 2018 EP in their back catalogue.
An advance CD-R of this arrived in the mail with bugger-all information, but there was a suspicion that it had come from a band that couldn’t wait for it to be released. The CD player was in for repair but a quick spin when it came back revealed that the digital contents were a little special.
The title track hits like an early afternoon breeze on a hot November day before the Australian East Coast summer humidity has kicked in. It’s liberally laced with sitar, courtesy of guest Mark Tinson, and its sunny pop sensibility is strong enough to push aside the mid-winter cold into which it’s been launched.
Is that a subtle Radio Birdman lyrical reference (“It’s one thing/To Burn my eye/To paint the sky/To say goodbye”)? Probably not. The whole album is more a reminder that timeless psych pop never gets old.
A ringing open chord set against a nagging riff make “Undone” resonate strongly. “Distracted” marches to drummer Ross Peters’ strident feel and the guitar counterplay really is a thing of beauty. Harmonies make “Train” and “Mesmerise” memorable and suggest that pairing The Autumn Hearts with Sydney’s The On and Onscould make for one killer pop bill (but if you’ve been watching local guides you’ll know that The Hovering Spooks got there first.)
“Sink Or Swim” drops more arpeggios than a suburban guitar teacher with a David Gilmour obsession, while “She Goes” could be a lost Matthew Sweet tune.
This record contains more Rickenbackers than your collection of early Church records and Michael Punch’s artful 12-string makes the classic ‘60s pop reference points all the more obvious. No need to bore you by dropping their names but even a cursory listen on the band’s Bandcamp page will tell you.
The Autumn Hearts couldn’t be more unfashionably out-of-step with contemporary music if they tried. Something tells me they like it like that. If you’re a fan of psychedelic powerpop, you’ll think the same.
1/4
