Garden Eyes announce themselves with First EP: Selfish Art
What are they putting in the water up in Brisbane? In the last few years some incredible alternative emo bands have been popping off out of Brisbane. Bad Neighbour, Talk Heavy, and Semantics to name a few. Garden Eyes have been working the Brisbane scene for a couple of years now and they seem primed to fucking explode.
Garden Eyes have (at long last) released their first EP. Selfish Art is an accumulation of releases that Garden Eyes have been slowly trickling out over the last year, and two previously unreleased tracks. I’ve been fortunate enough to get access to Selfish Art early, and holy shit has it been a treat. While a lot of the EP is already accessible, there is something special about seeing how a band compiles and presents their work. To create a full cohesive piece of art across seven songs that, for the most part, were released as singles, and to make it work well is impressive, especially for a band as fresh as Garden Eyes.
If you, like I, had not heard of Garden Eyes prior to this, you are in for a real fucking treat. If your playlists consist of bands like Movements, The Story So Far, and Citizen you are going to love adding Garden Eyes into your saddest playlists that you should be crying in the dark to, but you’re playing them at full blast on your commute instead.
Kicking off the EP is Keep Close. To open the EP with a brand new track is a bold move, and it pays off here. The guitar tone on this track is something else. The contrast between the driving low guitar and the twinkling lead guitar line is just so damn good. The drum line keeps things interesting throughout, not settling to one particular pattern, and it keeps things fresh. The cadence of the vocals has a nostalgic feeling. It reminds me of albums that were coming out in the late 2000’s. I can’t explain it, this song feels like it belongs on my first-generation iPod shuffle that looks like a packet of chewing gum and only has 512mb of space. The change up in the outro genuinely caught me off guard, the dynamic shift comes out of nowhere to add another chapter to this song.
Sunshine follows next. Released in June, we’ve already had a few months to get to grips with this track. A lighter and almost happier tone than that of the rest of the EP, but it doesn’t stick out. The track being titled Sunshine is appropriate, I can almost feel the sun on my face as I listen to it. the float of the guitars and the soft vocal delivery just make this the perfect summer banger- even if it was released in the middle of winter. This all translates on the music video too. This love song is a real high point of the EP, and it really is a great showcase for just how versatile Garden Eyes already are.
Fever Dream is the oldest track on the EP, having been released in November last year, we should be well acquainted with it by now. However, if you’re not, I’ll fill you in. This song slaps. With it being only the third single Garden Eyes released I can only sit in awe of how hard this one hits me in the chest. There are so many layers and so many different little moments to take in. Lead vocalist Jaydn Reti’s ability to deliver a spoken word verse so deeply and so seamlessly in this track does draw comparison to Movements’ frontman Patrick Miranda. With a band name that shares the title of a Movements track, I think there must be some level of influence there. Jaydn really makes it works and makes it his own and I really admire that.
Released in February, Speak Slow, is next in line. There is a lower, more sombre tone to this track. There’s a focus more on the atmospheric build than there is on any of the other tracks on the EP and it just adds to the dynamic of the whole piece of work. There’s another spoken word verse on this track, the delivery has more gut behind it. it fits as a bridge rather than an outro and the change up in structure makes the delivery strike even harder. The way the track spends time building up to second chorus, before stripping everything back completely, leaving even a moment of silence before bringing everything back at a higher level than before makes this track especially memorable.
The acoustic guitar/vocal combination for the introduction of Contest is a tone that I didn’t expect at this point in the EP. Contest originally dropped in April and I’m still not over it. The way the track builds gradually, adding in and then taking away the building blocks, is a true masterstroke. This track has me stunned. Every time I’ve listened to it, I have to stop to take it in and appreciate it, which has made this paragraph really difficult to write. the kick-in of the first chorus is just done so well. Garden Eyes have really shown off their versatility throughout, but this is the most off-piste moment of the EP. The acoustic tone is a shift away from the average alternative/emo that we see in the other tracks.
Blur was released with the announcement of the EP back at the start of August. I can see why Garden Eyes chose this as the announcement track. There is so much going on from the drop of the needle here. The perfect balance and juxtaposition of delicate and punchy floating throughout. Dynamic shifts between verse and chorus make this track really impactful. Blur is a banger. It feels bigger and more expansive than any of the other tracks on the EP, but the fact that it immediately follows the acoustic driven Contest makes it feel even bigger. There has clearly been incredibly careful consideration to the track listing that you would forgive newer bands overlooking. I’ve had a hard time choosing a favourite track on the EP, but Blur is the one I keep coming back to.
Finally, we reach Waters Edge. The other non-single track of the EP, alongside opening track Keep Close, bookending the whole EP. as The shortest track, Waters Edge packs a lot into the little over two and a half minutes of playtime. The build of the track is slow and dramatic. The vocals do take the lead on that build, hitting a higher level before the instruments, but this has a really powerful effect. Jaydn’s delivery is just something else, this track hits pinnacle of emo and just delivering something really haunting. The closing line, ‘I’d still sink for you’ leaves a lasting taste of the track ringing in my ears as I make sure that I have this EP on repeat.
this release is special. It isn’t often a band like Garden Eyes comes along and deliver a debut ep like this. It is very clear that this is a culmination of years of careful craft and solid graft. The singles are incredibly strong and the two new tracks on the album stand up so well too. You’d be forgiven for mistaking Garden Eyes to be Three albums deep and kicking off sold out tours instead of releasing their first EP. The future is bright for Garden Eyes.
The EP has a very nostalgic feel for me. You could tell me this EP came out twenty years ago and I wouldn’t be surprised (but I would be devastated). The perfect mixture of emo, alternative, and indie that ran in a lot of underground circles in the 00’s has just perfectly come together on Selfish Art. I fucking love it. I can tell I am getting old when I’m finding so much joy in music that reminds me of being a teenager. While Garden Eyes are delivering much more nuanced and well-rounded work, I’ve found myself wanting to go back and listen to bands like Fightstar, Funeral for a Friend, and Reuben.
I am going to be watching what Garden Eyes do next closely. When the band next make the trip down to Melbourne, you best believe you’ll find me there. I’ll be waiting for a full album release next, but until then, you’ll find me crying in the dark spinning Selfish Art as loud as I can.
To join me in keeping a close eye on what Garden Eyes do next, you can follow their Instagram or their facebook page. As well as their spotify and their apple Music.
