Expatriate
In The Midst Of This
13 Track, LP (2007, Dew Process)
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Related: Expatriate.
2 Across: New York band, obvious influence on Expatriate, Starts with ‘I’ (8). 5 Down: Mancunian post-punk band, beloved by Expatriate (3, 8). OK, deciding on who this Sydney trio’s musical forebears are may not exactly be cryptic crossword material. And when you hear how tepid production turns the potentially brilliant stalker’s anthem ‘The Spaces Between’ into mid-tempo mush, it is easy to fear for the worst.
But when Expatriate flick the switch marked ‘atmosphere’, however, they’re pretty damn impressive. Whether he’s falling in love with “a ghost of a girl”, watching his love cross a park at night, enthusing about “pretty boys and fucked-up girls” or suggesting “Let's go out tonight/Put on something black”, it’s clear that few brood quite like Ben King. The netherworld of his lyrics, sprinkled literally with spies, play-acting, photos, stars and painful memories is matched by the nervy, insistent drumming and wiry guitar work.
Sure, there are some gauche moments when Expatriate come out from the shadows and make for the boulevards. But when they’re cooped up a back alley with only a bottle of Pernod and a copy of The Cure’s Pornography for company, the idea of Expatriate matching the musical feats of their impeccable, if overly obvious, influences sounds just about possible.
by Daniel Herborn
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