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EP: Correspondence ARTIST: Royal And The Southern Echo
For most of us, a trip to Europe in the winter results in too many clothing layers and a possible ski-related injury; for Brisbane songwriter Bryce Schneider, it resulted in an attempt to find some sonic sunshine through the cold and the evolution of his project Royal And The Southern Echo.
Embracing lush pop stylings with a breathy quirkiness, Royal And The Southern Echo's debut EP 'Correspondence' covers every facet of life's ups and downs in a shiny coat of clever writing and peppy production.
With an authentically Aussie twist on love, heartbreak and beyond, 'Correspondence' leaps out with the luxuriously maudlin 'Sunburnt Shoulders' before skipping into more upbeat territory with the jangly 'Hunt Your Love Down' and 'Technicolour'.
'HUNT YOUR LOVE DOWN' (ROYAL AND THE SOUTHERN ECHO)
The latter-half of the EP begins with the Southern-esque 'Wait And Wander', injecting some bluesy acoustic guitar beneath Schneider's chiselled vocals. 'New Lows' follows, going full Crowded House with it's folky-pop melody and woozy guitars. Rounding out 'Correspondence' is the drama-soaked 'Deep Water' which builds into a rich and emotive finale that would play right at home at the climax of some heart-wrenching indie rom-com.
While the overall EP is pleasant and well-executed, what is perhaps most enjoyable about this outing for Royal And The Southern Echo is Schneider's commitment to and exploration of intelligent pop music, as he explains: "The EP is really the story of my time living in Berlin, eventually coming home and dealing with the fact that everything had changed and also nothing had changed. WhenI look back through the songs I can pinpoint times and situations throughout that journey, the start and breakdown of relationships and also my mental state throughout the period. Sonically I can see the evolution of my songwriting and my opening up to embrace the classic thoughtful pop music that I’ve always, always loved'.
'CORRESPONDENCE' OFFICIALLY LEAPT OUT INTO THE WORLD YESTERDAY, FOR MORE INFO HEAD TO:
BY TIANA SPETER