Review: Spacey Jane’s ‘Sunlight’ Coats Gut-Wrenching Confessions In Sunkissed Bliss

Plastered all over the triple j airwaves (both red and green) over the past few years, Perth pop-rock outfit Spacey Jane are by no means newcomers to the scene. After tackling some of the biggest festival stages right across the country, their debut LP ‘Sunlight’ has truly become the epitome of ‘highly anticipated’. However, the quartet take this pressure in the stride as they capture the millennial spirit and summer vibes in a powerful 12-track debut record filled with pop-rock bliss.

The record takes us on a journey of early twenties life. Peppered with bright rhythm guitar, and vocalist Caleb Harper‘s sweet vocals (think Jordi of San Cisco), from a distance, ‘Sunlight’ is a groovy LP to roll down the windows to on a coastal drive. Take one step closer, and a journal of self doubt, breakups, breakdowns, love, loss (and a heck of a lot in between) is revealed. A record that sonically demands the repeat button, but emotionally needs the tissues — one can’t help but be swept up in the world imagined by Spacey Jane.

The latest single “Skin” captures the essence of ‘Sunlight’ with such summery poignance. Opening with a flickering hook on gorgeous electric guitar, we are introduced to the carelessness of youth. “I’m careless and I’m breathing in / I’m running wild” is the mantra of any late teen bouncing their way down a buzzing street on a Friday night. What starts are bright, bold and beaming, is quickly met with introspection. “Though this / We are soon met with / You hate one life and you’re faking in another” is the train of thought of any teen lying awake in bed. “Skin” highlights the rich, wholistic perspective of youth the band are able to pen, whilst keeping a skip in our step and a swing in our hips.

Beaming out of the chorus of fifth track “Wasted On Me” comes a line that I’ll no doubt end up drunk texting an ex one day: “You must feel like you wasted your life on me. I know, I feel the same”.  The track also features a transition that made a literal “ooft” come out of this writer’s mouth. Flowing seamlessly into “Booster Seat”, it was a shift that was *chef’s kiss* molto bene. The transition also sees a shift in mood, from a grungy angst to more soft, spacious atmospherics, casting our minds back to when we were just out of diapers, in the backseat of the car, with Mum and Dad there to protect us.

As if one thought, it’s as though Spacey Jane are able to replicate that escapism we all do when we come to the regretful realisation who we are and the life we’ve made. Shifting from “Wasted On Me” so seamlessly to “Booster Seat” feels so right. I too constantly escape the present reality with peaceful nostalgia.

The closing and titular track ‘Sunlight’ is simple, clean, and melancholic. All good things must come to and end, whether we want it to or not. As we listen to the dawn of a relationship — a story of how sometimes love just isn’t enough — we come to the dawn of ‘Sunlight’. A slow and short track is a testament to the ‘leave them wanting more’ motto. The final track features a delicious hook that shines through as the tune meanders to its end. Though as the sun sets on this gorgeous record and we are left in a dark, ‘Sunlight’’s warmth will stay with us for some time.

Overall the record features some boisterous sounds that is ripe for any summer road trip. A tapestry of vivid and bubbly rhythms, lined with lyrics that punch the gut, tied together with that Caleb Harper’s sweet pop vocals — Spacey Jane are a shining voice in the Australian scene.

Not only are they able to give summer festival vibes in the dead of winter but also pen some introspection well beyond their years. ‘Sunlight’ smashes it out of the park and proves that, living up to their name, Spacey Jane is truly out of this world in all the best ways.

Original article for BestBefore Co. here.