Texas Tea - Sad Summer Hits (18/06/2013)
I first got to crushing on Texas Tea when I heard their cutesy, quirky track, ‘The Alphabet Song’ which traced its way through the alphabet, or at least the start of it, giving the ABC on break-ups and avoiding dick-ish men.
But that’s not all you can expect from the two-piece alt-country outfit. The Brisbane pair have been making music since ’05 and are currently celebrating the release of their new album, Sad Summer Hits, which dwells in love and heartbreak amidst their unique country and western vibe.
The opening track, ‘The Merry Blues’ sounds exactly how it reads. Opening with the lazy, drawn out strum of an acoustic guitar, female vocalist, Kate Jacobson’s signature western voice draws in and idles throughout the track.
The third track, ‘I Know That I Let You Down This Time’, sings of regret, apologies, life and learning. It unfurls with a steady stereophonic-style electric guitar which later makes way to the no-bullshit vocals of Benjamin P. Dougherty, the other half of the Brissie duo. Complimenting his straightforward sound are Jacobson’s angelic vocals that echo and loom underneath the track.
While the album is saturated with heartache and related love pains, ‘I Don’t Write No Sad Songs,’ see Dougherty reverse this theme in more ways then one, with an upbeat guitar rift and his strong, deep vocals. Reminiscent of Nick Cave, his voice is raw and unencumbered as compared to Jacobson’s high, feminine sound, which really diversifies their combined sound.
The album closes with ‘The Old Swing’, which glides from drowned out, female vocals to a gentle twang of an acoustic guitar and steady drumbeat. The song is moody and relaxed with the sexy female underwater female vocals gently waning in and out as the track lazily soars through. The song thoughtfully builds halfway throughout the end of the track with a range of different noises, until it again softly fades out, true to the country western vibe.
Aneeka Simonis
But that’s not all you can expect from the two-piece alt-country outfit. The Brisbane pair have been making music since ’05 and are currently celebrating the release of their new album, Sad Summer Hits, which dwells in love and heartbreak amidst their unique country and western vibe.
The opening track, ‘The Merry Blues’ sounds exactly how it reads. Opening with the lazy, drawn out strum of an acoustic guitar, female vocalist, Kate Jacobson’s signature western voice draws in and idles throughout the track.
The third track, ‘I Know That I Let You Down This Time’, sings of regret, apologies, life and learning. It unfurls with a steady stereophonic-style electric guitar which later makes way to the no-bullshit vocals of Benjamin P. Dougherty, the other half of the Brissie duo. Complimenting his straightforward sound are Jacobson’s angelic vocals that echo and loom underneath the track.
While the album is saturated with heartache and related love pains, ‘I Don’t Write No Sad Songs,’ see Dougherty reverse this theme in more ways then one, with an upbeat guitar rift and his strong, deep vocals. Reminiscent of Nick Cave, his voice is raw and unencumbered as compared to Jacobson’s high, feminine sound, which really diversifies their combined sound.
The album closes with ‘The Old Swing’, which glides from drowned out, female vocals to a gentle twang of an acoustic guitar and steady drumbeat. The song is moody and relaxed with the sexy female underwater female vocals gently waning in and out as the track lazily soars through. The song thoughtfully builds halfway throughout the end of the track with a range of different noises, until it again softly fades out, true to the country western vibe.
Aneeka Simonis