by Brendan Telford (@sonicmasala)
If you need some gristle sprinkled over your effervescence in the morning, Sydney’s Sachet are not short on energetic, acerbic power pop crunch. Having risen from the ashes of a dreamier, shoegaze-y disposition in previous band Day Ravies, that band’s Sam Wilkinson has handed more of the reins over to Lani Crooks, to enthusiastic effect. Over the years they have become a mainstay on Australian louche rock pop label Tenth Court, and with good reason – the quartet are spitting out slices of fuzzy rock gold with laser precision. So, to The Seeing Machine then, their new five track EP. Crooks seems even more confident here than ever, aided perhaps by “new” addition Kate Wilson on drums (memorable from behind the skins with The Holy Soul, Wilson actually joined Sachet’s ranks way back in 2019 but after the recordings for 2020 LP Nets had already been laid down) – her propulsive metronome adding further bombast to the ebullience.
It’s a true EP in that each song has tonal shifts that sets them apart from their comrades, and giving a glimpse of what might be on the horizon. “Crushing Whims (Ride)” kicks out the wah (seriously the bass on this track alone elicits giddy abandon) and Crooks’ vocals goes from a coy coo to a vocal lilt not far from the impish Marnie Stern, wrapping up what is probably Sachet’s poppiest moment yet, albeit one still gilt-edged with flashes of guitar squall. On “Redecabbaged,” the propulsion growls, and Crooks’ vocals follow in kind, mostly spoken in low tones while guitars double-helix around each other, and the orchestral whistle of Pete Beringer’s organ pipes up underneath. I don’t know how they manage to make something so chaotic sound so plaintively simple – but that was the beauty of the 90s indie rock behemoths that Sachet emulates. One such band that you can hear at times is the Deal sisters’ Breeders, especially in moments of “Myriad,” or the sweet/sour melodic interplay that Bob Mould’s Sugar or various Aussie predecessors pumped out with economic abandon (Screamfeeder, Ammonia, Pollyanna et al). Once “The Lodger” has left the speakers, it becomes apparent how addictive Sachet is – just like their namesake, what they have given us isn’t nearly enough, and the wait is feverishly on for their next tasty sample.