Recognisable as one fifth of Brisbane jangle outfit Dumb Things, in her spare time Madeleine Keinonen has begun crafting tunes under the moniker Renovator’s Delight. I had to google what “renovator’s delight” actually meant, and I’m guessing the gag here is that these tracks are set to be a little rougher around the edges than her work with Dumb Things. However, on her debut single ‘Bucket of Water’, it’s Maddie’s knack for left-of-centre songwriting that stands out, enabling the track to shine without the need for any extra polish.

Opening with the lilt of an unhurried guitar, ‘Bucket of Water’ grows around Madeleine’s evocative vocals, as she trades out her Dumb Things drawl for something a little more enigmatic. As the instrumentation behind her blossoms into a sturdy groove along with the heady chime of a slide guitar, her delivery remains acute and wide-eyed, especially so as the track’s emotive power builds with the racing tempo. Given that for the most part Madeleine’s lyrical intent is fairly ambiguous, it’s impressive how poignant she’s able to make ‘Bucket of Water’ feel, so much so that by the track’s end we’ve been whisked into a haze that’s equal parts melancholy and joyous.

The brand new clip, self-directed by Madeleine, leans especially into this playful side as it evokes “a kind of strange, coastal Queensland reimagining of Fantasia”. Loaded with the same charm as the song, we watch Madeleine in full wizard get-up, embarking on some kind of journey with a trusty bucket o’ water. While the press release describes the clip as “an absurdist metaphor for pausing and taking a good hard look at the things we carry around with us”, it’s not entirely clear what’s going on as we watch along; but that doesn’t make the viewing experience any less fun as we see Maddie raising waves and levitating buckets while the track swells gloriously around us.