With such maturity in his voice already, one can only be excited for the future of his solo career.
I don’t think there is a songwriter that has managed to embody the voice of Australia quite like Blake Scott.
His work in The Peep Tempel highlighted his unique ability to pen thought-provoking lyrics that were not only drenched in Australian quirks but also had a natural accentuated slur that felt like it could blow over .05 through the speakers.
Niscitam, Scott’s first solo release, was written during an extended period of sobriety as well as the birth of his first child. Utilizing a more stripped back approach, Niscitam marks an amazing musical contrast alongside Scott’s Australian twanged voice.
‘Bone Heavy’ incorporates harmonised backing vocals giving it a slightly Boy & Bear feel but dosed with much more grime.
The woozy bassline of ‘Fever’ is at the songs forefront with the guitar only being used intermittently for effect. A trait that carries throughout the album.
Being the bass player of The Peep Tempel, it is incredibly evident how most of Scott’s songs are driven by the bass, with guitar seeming like such a minute component of the overall sound. But it’s not needed, the sound that is created is so full that most may not even notice the impressive differences.
‘Magic’ has an incredible psychedelic childlike quality to it’s chorus, slightly reminding me of chaotic moments in Pink Floyd’s ‘Corporal Clegg’.
In all of his songs Scott delivers his vocal in a style that could be argued is more rooted in spoken word poetry than it is in singing. That’s why songs like ‘The Plainsmen’ and ‘Hillman Hunter’ stand out as Scott actually does adopt a sombre spoken approach.
‘Kalashinov’ feels like a throwback to the driving and quick basslines of songs such as ‘Big Fish’ whilst ‘Hammer’ has the natural grime of fellow Australian acts like The Drones.
Most artists struggle with an identity crisis on their first solo release. ‘Is it too different from my old material? Is it too similar to my old material?’
Not only has Blake Scott managed to maintain the quality of songwriting that fans have revelled in for years, he has pushed himself into new ground and released a damn good album. With such maturity in his voice already, one can only be excited for the future of his solo career.
Niscitam is out now via Wing Sing Records.
5/5
