Loon Lake

Remember the early nineties, when indie exploded? Rhyming verses, a big chorus and a bunch of drunk, elated fans mouthing hooky lyrics. These days it’s all a bit demure. Where there was once sweat there’s a hipster haircut, anthems are exchanged for something a bit more experimental and a beer’s second preference to a nettle tea. It’s all about lo-fi twee.

Rise from the rubble Loon Lake: a Melbourne based five piece, armed with nothing but catchy chords, a sprinkle of honesty and some unpretentious indie pop.

Avoiding artifice, Lake Loon’s latest offering “Carolina”, is expressively authentic in its sentiments and simplicity. An stadium-sized and carefree chorus, that simultaneously and excitedly sings of regret. Here lies the kind of track that will leap into your head, etch its lyrics on your brain and then pursue you for the rest of the day.

Unashamedly uncomplicated, “Carolina” may just be the perfect summer fling. - The Music Ninja

As clever as these guys are with some snappy lyrics, it’s clear from the get go that Loon Lake also want to be recognised for their musicianship. Opening track Tonight is a lovely lazer-fueled intro that has us wiggling with anticipation with every shake of the tambourine. The whole album is punctured with guitar solos (most notably in Love Gets Done) and the outro to Bones is noticeably long. These heavier instrumental moments is where Loon Lake prove themselves as serious musicians, despite the carefree nature of some of their tracks.

City Lights is a tale of exhaustion and exhilaration, as the band is driving from show to show, trying to make it on time. It begins with a simple melody that slowly builds instrumentally with the drums getting heavier as you close in on your destination. The undisputed pop gem of Cherry Lips quickly follows, which was a wonderful pre-party anthem from last summer. On Fire, which features Super Mario Bros sound effects and discusses a tumultuous relationship, shares the same infectious qualities of the two songs before it. However, It Was Only Love is the strongest of this clump of anthemic tragi-pop songs. The chorus is so catchy, talking about a girl who was only supposed to be “a fad, a fling, a short term thing” and now the poor boy is a bit lost now that it’s over. Fear not, this song is more amusing than devastating, as his emotional response to this break up has clearly caught him by surprise.

Bones is the game changer of Gloamer. Just when you think you’re going to have an album of high-energy adventure tales, a low drum beat intro and slower strumming of the guitar brings the pace way down. The lyrics have become more cryptic, and the voice has transformed from a yell to an echo, almost ghost-like in the way it floats above the simple instrumentation. The imagery of bones and broken feet, and the repetition of the line “I be you don’t know where I’ve been” offers a fragility that is both unexpected and heartfelt.

We only see this side of Loon Lake once more on Gloamer in Parties, which has the same echoey melancholy, but this time addresses insecurity, by swearing that you’ll “sort yourself out soon”. The bottom line is this: ‘All I wanted was protection, but all you do is float around the room’. It’s anxious, delicate and such a poignant moment that genuinely takes you by surprise.

Loon Lake captures a moment in time so unnervingly well, and it is best portrayed in the incredibly joyous Spain. Anyone who has had a summer in Europe can relate to the sun drenched days and sweaty nights, from tapas bars to nightclubs. The upbeat tempo and playful use of the synth just makes you long for the adventurous days of travel.

The album rounds off with High, which is so undeniably Darwin Deez sounding with its tragi-pop vibes, fiddly guitar, and pause-clap beat. It may be about getting high to forget the truth, but it’s still very lovable. Single Carolina (below), is in a similar vein of earlier songs on Gloamer both in sound and theme. This time it’s about wanting to chase a girl overseas, and his inability to let her go. Goodbye Forever is a groggy, dreamlike send-off which is a bit unusual, but this album is nothing if not unpredictable.

Loon Lake’s debut provides lots of unexpected twists and turns and certainly captures the trials and tribulations of young love and discovery. It makes you nostalgic one moment, and then drags you onto the dance floor the next. My bet is that Loon Lake will be around for a good time, and a long time. - Pilerats

As David Bowie’s Heroes blares through the venue sound system, it’s difficult to secure a vantage point just before Loon Lake o’clock. The black curtains don’t quite shut to conceal the equipment onstage and some visuals of landscapes are being tested out on this irregular surface, which creates an unusual Uncle Arthur’s slide show-type vibe. The curtains are then physically drawn open to reveal the band onstage as they rip into latest single On Fire. They’re on fire alright, even if the cloud formations dancing across the cyclorama don’t exactly suit the song, and immediately each member’s prowess is on display.

“Melbourne, you beautiful bastards!” frontman Sam Nolan enthuses; these blokes certainly celebrate their Australianness. Of course drummer Nick Nolan swigs from a stubbie while nonchalantly operating his kick drum, look-mum-no-hands style. There’s a token Nirvana t-shirt up there and this band of three brothers, plus two mates, don’t hit a bum note all night. When Sam Nolan bullies bassist “Timmy” Lowe, a punter yells out, “Yeah, get the music going!” Bad To Me follows and the crowd liven up, singing along with this earlier track. Loon Lake are launching their debut album Gloamer on this touring leg, sure, but tonight’s set balance would have benefitted by interspersing new tracks in between songs from the EPs to ease fans into this more unfamiliar territory. Either Cherry Lips or In The Summer getting an earlier airing would’ve done it.

One of the new songs borrows heavily from Craig David’s Seven Days, given each day of the week is included in the lyrics. Theirs may be a simple sound, but it’s catchy as hell and Loon Lake do it oh-so well. You could go so far as to say that these Tarrawingee-bred blokes (all except guitarist Daniel Bull) are national treasures. - TheMusic.com.au

Some songs instantly set the mood from the exact second you hit play. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about the Barry White kind of mood. I mean that feeling of jovial get-up-and-go. A quality found in the new single ‘Cherry Lips’, from Melbournian outfit, LOON LAKE. Just in case you’re still unsure of this band’s persona, they sum it up in pretty much the best way possible “We play music because it’s fun.”

The five-piece band consists of three brothers: Sam (vocals, guitar and keys), Sime (guitar and vocals) and Nick Nolan (drums), along with two of their mates, Dan Bull (lead guitar and vocals) and Tim Lowe (bass). Together they’ve formed a sunnier side to the Rock/Garage genre.

‘Cherry Lips’ finds guitar and percussion working in unison, creating that ‘turn up your stereo’ car trip vibe. The lyrics have a perfect balance of quirk and charm such as, “But it’s almost night time and you know that’s the right time to dance…” and “He calls you by your last name but he thinks it is your first…” Try as hard as you like but no head can resist nodding along when it comes to Cherry Lips. LOON LAKE’s new EP, Thirty Three will be released this year on the 3rd of August. - Purple Sneakers