The Green Child - Look Familiar LP

THE GREEN CHILD has grown into four people. Originally the recording project of Raven Mahon (furniture maker and member of Grass Widow, Rocky) and Mikey Young (recording engineer and band member of Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Shutdown 66), The Green Child now boasts Shaun Gionis (of Boomgates) on drums and Alex Macfarlane (who runs the excellent label Hobbies Galore) on guitar and synths. This invigorated quartet from Naarm/Melbourne began writing the group’s third album ‘Look Familiar’ last year, working up demos in rehearsals, animated by having live drums present in their chameleonic sound. The Green Child still draws heavily on a refined psychedelic pop, with Raven’s scenically measured vocal often shadowing the ebb and flow, but the energy of having four people in the room resulted in making the songs more upbeat.

Mikey expands on the new situation for the group, “for this record, half the musical ideas stemmed from Raven, half from myself. I felt like we discussed things more and fleshed out ideas together and brought in Alex and Shaun for their input all the time. I see it as a step forward in many ways but at times, it felt like an entirely new thing. It’s inspiring to make music with others, to find a new combination of ingredients to make music feel fresh.” This attitude certainly bears fruit across this extraordinary album, which sounds alive with ideas and unexpected dimensions.

The songs gathered on ‘Look Familiar’ were largely informed by “reality-shifting world events” Raven admits, “the subject matter just makes its way in when it's what I'm thinking about most the time” she continues. “There are a couple of homages to family members too. ‘The Lawn’ is about my grandmother and the area where she lived in the desert that was a short-lived socialist commune.” ‘The Lawn’ is a propulsive thrum of lustrous electronic escapism offset with lyrics about a factory job binding cables together for NASA. Raven continues, “these songs are more like a string of vignettes describing scenery and memories. I tried to include anecdotes I had heard about family members that I had never met as a way of memorialising them. Like that my great grandmother was a bashful quilter who would cover her mouth when she giggled.” This familial/familiar thread extends to the album artwork too, painted by Raven’s mother in the early 90’s and featuring the image of her father at the wheel of a car.

There are many standout moments across the album’s ten tracks. ‘Wow Factor’ is a reverie of chiming guitar lines, dizzy, scurried melodies and floating centres. Raven elucidates “it is about a few things, for one, the double standards of the international justice system, and also about caring for and protecting those that are close to you.” These sentiments are echoed in the track’s uneasy, inescapable feel. ‘Arrows and Microtones’ and ‘Look Familiar’ showcase The Green Child in a more reflective, expansive mode. Taking time to let the grandeur unfold into compelling new directions. ‘Private Laugh’ comes alive with its crushed fuzz-guitar accompaniment and swirling synth eddies, the perfectly poised guitar histrionics on ‘Feet Are Rebels’ are another highlight.

‘A Long Beautiful Flowing Cape’ unfurls with an infectious shuffling beat backed-up with a spry bassline. Shimmers of synth and twirling guitar tone provide a redolent vista for Raven’s vocal about “internet interactions, posturing and distorted social contracts” to flit through. ‘Year of the Books’ is more strident and driving with a sturdy motorik pulse, arpeggiated flourishes and distorted shreds. This album sounds like constant renewal, never seeking comfort, its the sound of four musicians pushing each other to new heights. The Green Child have made a profusely evocative album with ‘Look Familiar’, one that shines like a beacon and draws us all close.