From wonky piano and synthesisers, to wiggy, fuzzed-out electric guitar, to chiming sparseness, and aided by local producer Steven Marr (Doprah), Strang has captured the essence of practice-room fun, bottling it in a range of flavours.
There’s plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments, too, encapsulated by the lines in My Smile Is Extinct, "Yes, she is the best I’ve ever had/I’ll say it to her face and I’ll say it to her dad".
Really? Such confidence ...
• Kane Strang. Two Hearts and No Brain. Dead Oceans.
• Four stars (out of five)
Single download: Oh So You Are Off I See
For those who like: Pavement, The Smiths
— Shane Gilchrist
