Melbourne four-piece Husky's debut album was born after excellently-named singer/guitarist Husky Gawenda and his cousin (keyboardist Gideon Priess) pulled together as much old recording gear they could lay their hands on and holed themselves up for the summer in Gawenda's rustic Northcote bungalow. Mixed in LA with Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, The Strokes, Devendra Banhart), Forever So certainly retains the dreamy, organic charm of a record crafted in the hazy country sunshine.
The record sees the Triple J Unearthed winners deliver plaintive pianos and sweeping acoustic guitars aimed at both warming and melting hearts. The jewel in the crown is, of course, the wonderful History's Door. With its rolling drums and harmonies, it is a pretty much faultless composition which manages to be anthemic while never feeling remotely overblown. It's one of those sitting-on-shoulders-at-a-festival kind of songs, which is something for anyone heading to next year's Laneway to look forward to.
Next up, The Woods further shows Husky's ability to deliver folk that is pretty yet rousing and, clocking in at barely over three-minutes, this frantic fairytale manages to be swirling and interesting yet impressively concise. The romantic reminiscence of Hunter is a good example of how there is something Angus Stone-like about Gawenda. His delivery has a soft, tender quality that is so swoonsome it would make even the manliest man feel a little weak at the knees.
With indie-folk songs that are totally accessible and sweet while for the most part avoiding being predictable or twee, there is certainly enough about Forever So to suggest that everything is in place for Husky to really make an impact. Don't be surprised if 2012 is a big year for this likeable quartet.
Review by Bobby Townsend. It first appeared in Sydney's Drum Media.
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