Melbourne rock act The Getaway Plan are back with their third album Dark Horses. It comes five years after their last LP, and it seems they’ve channelled all of their time away from the studio beautifully. This is a big album and just what those fans who so generously donated to their crowdfunding campaign wanted to hear.
It opens so strongly with the epic rock of the single “Landscapes.” It’s a danger in a way opening an album up with a single I think. By putting something so strong up front, I always question whether the rest of the album might be filled with weaker filler tracks. We soon get our answer though.
“F(r)iend” kicks in where “Landscapes” left off, with big guitar riffs, emotional pleading vocals, and an epic rock song. There are a lot of big rock songs here. It’s what The Getaway Plan are famous for, and what the fans want to hear. While I enjoy those tracks, it’s the ones that veer off the tried and true path that give Dark Horses balance. I love the bluesy groove that underpins “Castles in the Air” and “Dark Horses.” “Last Words” feels very commercial without being cliched. “Dreamy Parallels” is the most beautiful ballad, or at least it starts out that way before The Getaway Plan turns it on its head. “Baby Bird Effigy” is another of those songs that takes so many twists and turns. It’s bold and brave, with movements taking us from laidback piano ballad to searing rock song and back again.
Bold and brave are the two adjectives that came to mind when I listened to this album. Crowdfunding an album isn’t new, but there’s a danger that a band’s going to try too hard to please the people who put up the money. In doing so, there’s a real possibility that they won’t take enough risks. I think The Getaway Plan strike the balance beautifully. Dark Horses is a triumph, a credit to the band and just what those generous crowdfunders ordered.
Dark Horses is in stores today. The Getaway Plan will support its release with the following shows later this year.
3 September 2015 – Small Ballroom, Newcastle
4 September 2015 – Baker Street, Gosford
5 September 2015 – Studio Six, Sutherland
10 September 2015 – Wollonong Uni, Wollongong
12 September 2015 – Transit Bar, Canberra
18 September 2015 – The Gapview Hotel, Alice Springs
19 September 2015 – Railway Club, Darwin
23 September 2015 – Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville
24 September 2015 – Magnums, Airline Beach
25 September 2015 – Villa Noosa, Noosaville
26 September 2015 – Parkwood Tavern, Gold Coast
1 October 2015 – Racehorse Hotel, Ipswich
2 October 2015 – Wooly Mammoth, Brisbane
3 October 2015 – Spotted Cow, Toowoomba
16 October 2015 – 170 Russell, Melbourne
17 October 2015 – Riverview Hotel, Tarwin Lower
29 October 2015 – Werribee Plaza Hotel, Werribee
30 October 2015 – Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights
31 October 2015 – Workers Club, Geelong
6 November 2015 – Club 54, Launceston
7 November 2015 – Republic Bar, Hobart
12 November 2015 – Inferno, Traralgon
13 November 2015 – Hallam Hotel, Hallam
14 November 2015 – Commercial Hotel, South Morang
18 November 2015 – Leisure Inn, Rockingham
19 November 2015 – Prince of Wales Hotel, Bunbury
20 November 2015 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
21 November 2015 – Mojo’s Bar, Fremantle
22 November 2015 – Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough
27 November 2015 – Whaler’s Hotel, Warrnambool
28 November 2015 – Fowler’s Live, Adelaide
Image used with permission from Deathproof PR
15 March 2012 – Village Green Hotel, Mulgrave