Only Shadows Now

Brisbane cousins Robert Vagg (vocals) and Dan McGirr (guitars) return with their second LP, augmented by the presence of Natasha Buchanan (synth, vocals). Their first record was privately pressed in an edition of 100 precious copies in 2012. This release sees them tackling more sadness and loneliness than ever, with Vagg's solemn and desperate voice mixed upfront while the music engulfs the alienated words in a swirl of delicate love. Vagg's ten confessionals drift around tragedies, hopelessness, and failed systems, entwined in the sparse guitar-and-synthesizer lines of McGirr and Buchanan. The overall sound and tone of this record recalls that of Lou Reed's Berlin, a classic.