Music / Premieres
Premiere:
Norwood - Affairs
Norwood - Affairs
A month on from the release of their latest single ‘I Know, It Looks Bad’, Norwood have returned with ‘Affairs’, the second part of their evocative double single release and a stunning moment of beguiling alt-folk in its own right.
With what began as a striking connection through mutual interests and musical inspirations, the Melbourne-based duo Norwood was born. We’re not complete strangers to Norwood at Trouble Juice, having checked in with the band on previous singles ‘Boring’ and ‘Irregular Ways’, two moments of captivating country-tinged folk that highlight Olivia Bolmat and Nathaniel Peacock’s rich tonal voices and the pair’s mastery for instrumental persuasion. However, today we’re lucky to get an early listen to ‘Affairs’, a companion track to their latest single ‘I Know, It Looks Bad’, which sees the duo playing on the notions of the introspective body and soul to the tune of immersive indie-folk.
As ‘Affairs’ begins, the scene is set with a twangy acoustic and gliding slide-guitar, that weave and tangle across the steady rhythm and string the track’s sonic landscape together. It’s instantly evocative; just imagine driving west through the country up near Mildura through to Renmark, where the towns are quiet and small, or empty as the folks are off working hard. You see a beauty in the simplicity but if you’re from the city, you probably think it’s not for you… not yet anyway. Bolmat’s vocals echo and lull you further into the song. It haunts you, the slight reverb placed on her voice emphasising the vast open space that comes to mind.
‘Affairs’ slowly expands - the slide guitar shifts in pitch to match the high notes of Bolmat’s vocals, before a driving groove emerges and the soundscape grows richer with gritty guitar layers and warm harmonies. Although the slide guitar repeats its opening riff, this time the delay is longer and sustains the ringing; the town you envision becomes full and busy, mirroring the track’s restless lyrics which depict “the romantic turmoil of an extramarital affair”. However, by the track’s end the turbulent themes and ebbing instrumentation seem to unite - Olivia’s voice is joined by Peacock’s rich low vocals and together, their emotive melodies fully intertwine with the track’s enthralling atmosphere, leaving us lost in a delirious haze of sound and wistful thought.
As ‘Affairs’ begins, the scene is set with a twangy acoustic and gliding slide-guitar, that weave and tangle across the steady rhythm and string the track’s sonic landscape together. It’s instantly evocative; just imagine driving west through the country up near Mildura through to Renmark, where the towns are quiet and small, or empty as the folks are off working hard. You see a beauty in the simplicity but if you’re from the city, you probably think it’s not for you… not yet anyway. Bolmat’s vocals echo and lull you further into the song. It haunts you, the slight reverb placed on her voice emphasising the vast open space that comes to mind.
‘Affairs’ slowly expands - the slide guitar shifts in pitch to match the high notes of Bolmat’s vocals, before a driving groove emerges and the soundscape grows richer with gritty guitar layers and warm harmonies. Although the slide guitar repeats its opening riff, this time the delay is longer and sustains the ringing; the town you envision becomes full and busy, mirroring the track’s restless lyrics which depict “the romantic turmoil of an extramarital affair”. However, by the track’s end the turbulent themes and ebbing instrumentation seem to unite - Olivia’s voice is joined by Peacock’s rich low vocals and together, their emotive melodies fully intertwine with the track’s enthralling atmosphere, leaving us lost in a delirious haze of sound and wistful thought.
'Affairs' is officially out everywhere tomorrow.
