Here’s a heavy and uplifting, thumping indie rock EP and it’s been created by Melbourne-based indie artist underlay! They unveil their new EP ‘Sick Like a Kid’ which is a refreshing collection of sonic indie rock tracks.
Spoken vocals lead us through a colourful painting of underlay’s musical maze of thoughts. underlay is the musical brainchild of Saudi Arabia multi-instrumentalist Cody Broughman who’s got a distinct pop rock sound driven by his sharp vocals and ethereal sounding instrumental elements. The EP was written across the three different houses Cody lived in from 2020 to 2022, with the songs on the EP bookmarking the different locations. ‘Sick Like a Kid’, soundtracks a pivotal time in the artist’s life, following the chaos of 2020 during which he lost everything in a house fire in the first week of lockdown…
Being able to turn such a traumatic event into a powerful and energising indie rock sound is a talent I certainly don’t possess, and it shows the musicality of, and poet within Broughman. “That was the start of it all. I’d been doing underlay as a side project while on tour with another band, and the house fire was just a wake-up call for me. I just thought, ‘I should be taking this more seriously,'” There’s nothing like a house fire to help you get your priorities in order…
A favourite on the EP is single ‘Family Lines’, which thunders through and plays around with hints of elements of indie great such as The Wombats and The Kooks. Heavy guitars and a playful soundscape make for a remarkable single, one easily followed up by ‘Haircut’. Similarly energising, but a tad less thumping, sounding like a more anthemic indie pop song with rattling drums driving the track home. The winner of the EP is its closing track, ‘Father’s Name’, with tearjerking storytelling lyrics, and a soundscape simple, subtle, and perfectly supporting its heart-wrenching message and inspiration. underlay is an artist to keep your eyes and ears focused on, that’s what ‘Sick Like a Kid’ proves!
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