★★★½
Josh Pyke’s fifth studio album pushes the boundaries of creativity and experiments with new songwriting techniques, leading to a significantly different sounding record to his past few.
One of the most distinguishing features on Pyke’s previous albums was his focus on vivid storytelling through lyrics, yet this time his lyrics often lean towards abstraction. While this technique is poetic in its own right, it forces the listener to connect with the song in a more unconventional way, which can be alienating at times. Nevertheless, there are some stunning lyrics on this record, such as the beautiful storm metaphors in ‘Some Big Deal’. Meanwhile, ‘There’s A Line’ has perhaps the catchiest melody of the lot and is a gorgeous composition that keeps the album interesting.
Pyke also experiments with co-writers, as we can hear bits of Dustin Tebbutt coming through in the guitar fills of ‘Momentary Glow’ and Marcus Azon’s influence in the jangly melody of ‘Songlines’.
While the songwriting takes a new angle, the typical Pyke sound that’s known and loved can still be heard here – a wonderful credit to his versatility as a musician.
Josh Pyke’s album But For All These Shrinking Hearts is out now through Wonderlick/Sony.
