How often do you hear the words “garage” and “pop” mixed together to characterize a music group? Not often, but that uncommon mix of music styles is exactly how the Australian Halcyon Drive describes themselves in their Twitter bio. The release of the single “Crusoe” has thrust Halcyon Drive into the indie music scene spotlight and has turned ears to their recently released EP, Cruel Kids.
Listeners may be surprised to discover upon listening to the selection that the immensely dense and complicated sounds are produced by the hands of just two individuals! Michael Oechsle is the lead vocalist and guitarist while Max Pamieta is on drums and contributes to vocals. Together, this duo manages to do it all. It’s quite impressive, although perhaps less uncommon these days with the technology that allows artists to create looping effects and dual drum segments. That is exactly the sort of work that Oechsle and Pamieta do in the studio and on stage. Despite all this effort, Halcyon Drive is still applauded for having wonderfully energetic sets.
The new EP lends its success to two other geniuses; Cruel Kids was recorded and produced by Steven Schram (San Cisco, The Cat Empire, Little Red) and mastered by Brian Lucey (Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys). To showcase the new tunes, Halcyon Drive is set to play multiple shows through the year. Notable acts include The Standard Bowl in Sydney and the NYE On the Hill festival.
Find Cruel Kids available for streaming, download, and purchase on SoundCloud and Bandcamp now!
Filed under: Feature Friday, Features Tagged: australia, cruel kids, cruscoe, feature friday, halcyon drive, music creates us