TIN SPARROW – FROM THE SUN

Tin Sparrow are the result of a few collaborative assignments undertaken by music students at Sydney’s Macquarie University. Soon enough, the young band recorded this debut EP with the help of Evermore’s Dann Hume, and radio airplay and praise has been rolling in ever since. It’s not hard to see the appeal – the quasi-acoustic swagger and MGMT-style vocals showcased on opening track Eileen permeate this catchy collection of upbeat songs. Eileen’s echo-drenched harmonies and sparkling guitar licks are irresistibly uplifting, but this doesn’t hide the fact that it recalls the work of countless other indie/pop/folk groups – Fleet Foxes and The Shins chief among them. The slide-guitar twang which sounds throughout The Boat is a nice sunny touch, and there is a sweet tale behind For You – Matt Amery wrote the song as a 21st birthday present for his girlfriend. Despite these pleasantries, there isn’t a whole lot going on that Tin Sparrow can call their own in a musical sense. This doesn’t entirely matter, though – these four songs are blatantly optimistic and hook-laden, which can count for just as much as originality and uniqueness. This debut offering will no doubt go down a treat over the fast-approaching Australian summer, assuming that breezily carefree sing-along tunes will be the flavour of the season – which they usually are.

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