From A View

While there are the clear connections with fellow Aussie indie players Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – particularly on the lead singles – there is actually more in common with the Australia and New Zealand indie heyday of the late 1980's and the whole Flying Nun scene. Shades of The Bats, Straitjacket Fits, and The Chills are omnipresent throughout ‘From A View’, the debut album from this Melbourne four-piece. What also appeals about Floodlights is that in the same way Fontaines D.C. are self-assuredly Irish, The Twilight Sad nakedly Scottish; the Floodlights are very Australian. The slacker Aussie brogue of vocalists Louis Parsons and Ashlee Kehoe brings life to songs that may have otherwise blended into the background. ‘From A View’ is glorious indie pop, punctuated with suburban Melbourne roots. A group of friends kicking jams in their grandparent’s spare room kind of vibe. The overall production is scuffed around the edges and the guitars unrefined, in a way that DIY slacker bands like Lewsberg and Parquet Courts have conquered to good effect. A polished sound wouldn’t have nearly the same effect for this record. This album sits right up there for us as one of the best releases of 2020.