The music of Brisbane band SGO is going to earn a lot of comparisons to early Slowdive. Like England's Deary, the group is clearly drawing from a specific set of early shoegaze points of inspiration, with lots of them involving Rachel Goswell's back-catalog. However, that does not mean that the act's newest record, One More Year isn't lovely on its own terms.
It's the vocals of Liz Dick and the backing vocals of bassist Emily Puxty which give this such an appeal. The vocals on "Falling" glide over a New Order-ish bass-line which encircles the tune, while "Pieces of You" is more diffuse in its pleasures. That one, like a few tracks on One More Year, reveals obvious debts owed to not just Slowdive, but Cranes and even early Lush. That SGO manage to corral those influences and use them in the service of their own distinctive material is a plus. The playful, rhythmic "Glimmer" is a real highlight in that regard, especially as it seems to be nodding to multiple sub-genres at once. That one, and the bright "Moving Around" really charm.
SGO manage to find juice in a form that's been done quite a bit recently. One More Year is fairly tuneful in its own fashion, with the atmospherics swirling around some strong melodic hooks. SGO are not looking to break too much new ground with their music, but there's real life in their material still, and they've cleared learned from the pioneers of the sub-genre. The resulting album is certainly one of the more pleasureable listening experiences of the final few months of 2024.
One More Year by SGO is out now on 4000 Records. Details below as well.
[Photo: Emily Puxty]