I love writing a music blog, but sometimes it’s a struggle. Sometimes you just want to listen to the album that’s currently revving you rather than sorting through the press releases and delving into the unknown. And sometimes you find a recording like Lonely Leaves, a release that’s so good that it makes you forget all about that thing you thought you wanted to listen to for the umpteenth time.
I’ve played Lonely Leaves for the last couple of days straight without putting my fingers to the keyboard. Why? Because once I did I’d have to move on, start sorting through the press releases and delving into the unknown again. Now this is the album that’s currently revving me.
Byron Bay band PLTS call Lonely Leaves an EP, but at seven tracks it feels more like a mini album. The songs explore feelings of nostalgia. Heartbreak and longing bookends the EP with “Without You” and the title track. But PLTS also know how to lift you up. “Young Ones” is an anthemic stadium rock banger about our youth. “A Play About the Ocean” soars. The frenetic energy in “August” perfectly captures a moment in time. The sombre “Silhouettes” is even more poignant coming after such an explosive track.
I’m waxing lyrical over these songs because there are no fillers. I’m hitting repeat constantly because there are no fillers. This is incredible stuff, accessible from the first listen but just a little more special with every subsequent play.
Lonely Leaves is out now. After recently supporting Dear Seattle, PLTS will headline their first shows in a year with a performance at Brisbane’s Black Bear Lodge on June 1 and another gig at Sydney’s OAF Gallery Bar on June 13.
Image used with permission from Macro Music