The Green Child have the 'Wow Factor'
The Green Child
New album "Look Familiar" Released 15th November on Upset The Rhythm
New single 'Wow Factor' and video out now Youtube
THE GREEN CHILD has grown into four people. Originally the recording project of Raven Mahon (furniture maker and member of Grass Widow, Rocky) and Mikey Young (recording engineer and band member of Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Shutdown 66), The Green Child now boasts Shaun Gionis (of Boomgates) on drums and Alex Macfarlane (who runs the excellent label Hobbies Galore) on guitar and synths. This invigorated quartet from Naarm/Melbourne began writing the group’s third album ‘Look Familiar’ last year, working up demos in rehearsals, animated by having live drums present in their chameleonic sound. The Green Child still draws heavily on a refined psychedelic pop, with Raven’s scenically measured vocal often shadowing the ebb and flow, but the energy of having four people in the room resulted in making the songs more upbeat.
Mikey expands on the new situation for the group, “for this record, half the musical ideas stemmed from Raven, half from myself. I felt like we discussed things more and fleshed out ideas together and brought in Alex and Shaun for their input all the time. I see it as a step forward in many ways but at times, it felt like an entirely new thing. It’s inspiring to make music with others, to find a new combination of ingredients to make music feel fresh.” This attitude certainly bears fruit across this extraordinary album, which sounds alive with ideas and unexpected dimensions.
There are many standout moments across the album’s ten tracks. First single ‘Wow Factor’ is a reverie of chiming guitar lines, dizzy, scurried melodies and floating centres. Raven elucidates “it is about a few things, for one, the double standards of the international justice system, and also about caring for and protecting those that are close to you.” These sentiments are echoed in the track’s uneasy, inescapable feel. Raven Mahon reveals more on the video she directed, "the song itself is made of disparate pieces, the lyrics are about conflict and manipulation, but the tone of the song feels as bright and pop as we've ever been. I tried to reflect this by using color and abstraction to stitch together these videos I shot over the summer of my family members' hands. it was a way of making larger themes personal for me. And although it becomes obscured in the video, the footage is a document of the unique and unifying features of our hands and how we have used them."
This album sounds like constant renewal, never seeking comfort, its the sound of four musicians pushing each other to new heights. The Green Child have made a profusely evocative album with ‘Look Familiar’, one that shines like a beacon and draws us all close.
‘Look ‘Familiar’ is due for release this November through Upset The Rhythm and Hobbies Galore on LP and digitally.
Bandcamp here: https://upsettherhythm.bandcamp.com/album/look-familiar
Pre-order shop link is: https://upsettherhythm.bigcartel.com/product/the-green-child-look-familiar-lp-pre-order
