Floodlights: From A View (Woo Me!)

The apex predator in the rock and roll reef water is that rare band whose sound evokes a sprawling journey in the listener, one that is emotional and visceral.

Floodlights are a Melbourne quartet adept at crafting the kind of jangle-rock the should evoke memories of American underground indie legends Pylon and The Feelies. On their debut full-length record, From A View, the band’s sound is energetic, stirring up snapshot images of a band on a long and winding road, while also grounded in a solid emotional foundation.

Among the more intriguing aspects in the Floodlights songwriting style is their effortless evocation of a sense of place and geography. On their previous release, Backyard (a self-released EP worthy of exploration) they explored the mystical side of the land down under. The opener is a voice-over Uncle Bunny Lawra talking about the healing properties of the wind and the sand. This EP contains four tracks like Nullaboor and Small Town Pub that deliver the listener to a sprawling outback by way of some cathartic Springsteen-esque chest-thumping rock.

Yet, at the same time, it is quintessentially Australian.

Similarly here on From A View, the band opens with the jangly, country-influenced track, Water’s Edge about a hermit living an isolated life, a song that turns over into a barnstorming rocker. More sombre Tropical Fun is full of a brooding sense and feeling disillusionment thick enough that drips off your fingers. While A Matter of Time (the album’s lead single) captures that iconic rock posture, the content is actually an evisceration of the slow-footed nature of politicians in response to climate change. The song is full of dagger lines thrown at the obstacles to real change, teeming with a core of conviction that would make Bono proud. A track that captures feelings of loss, Glory Of Control is a slow burner, depicting a man at a kind of personal crossroads, embellished by a magnificent chorus.

Records as good as From A View simply do not come along every day. They are rare specimens. Floodlights thrive on catchy songwriting and a type of honest rock that exists outside of a specific era and beyond an easy attribution of this-meets-that influence.

To call From A View a classic record would be an underestimation of its potential powers. This is a collection of timeless rock tracks that seem unlikely to fade or grow pale. 5/5