Sex Mask – ‘Body Broker’ EP review: A brooding beauty
Australian indie band Sex Mask have delivered a beautiful, brooding blend on an EP that revolves around love, loving, and having been loved.
It seems that Australia is continuing its run of churning out exciting new indie bands as Sex Mask’s most recent EP, Body Broker, is a real triumph of the genre. The cross-section of longing and chaos that wraps itself around these four songs gives listeners something that they can throw drinks in the air to or indulge in as a soundtrack to isolation. Whatever your vibe, you’re covered.
Despite having only released a handful of singles prior to the release of their new EP, there’s enough hype surrounding Sex Mask that people were waiting for this record. That slight added pressure that can come with being on the rise has toppled bands in the past, but not this one.
The EP kicks off with the song ‘Cold’, a track that feels somewhat hopeless, both in the way it’s performed and in the romance it talks about. From one listen, you come away with the droning line “does she love me or am I just staring?” rattling around somewhere.
Who would have thought the dregs of a hopeless romanticism would come from being bedridden near Mt Fuji? Band member Wry Gray confirmed the track was pried from a recovering brain as he fought off some strange sickness he’d picked up. “The doctors were under the belief my state was induced by the influence of a rare neurotoxin I had picked up from eating fresh frogs and crabs in stormwater drains all over Japan’s suburban tunnel systems,” he said.
That brooding feeling exists throughout the EP, but it doesn’t dominate it. The tone remains the same, but the way it’s delivered varies. The best example of this is in the gripping third track, ‘Curse’ which is a much more upbeat number, pairing male and female vocals to give the song a depth and sense of chaos about it.
As Sex Mask come to terms with the hype which is currently surrounding them, this new EP feels like a real moment where they can take speculation and turn it into something solid. They could well be the new indie band to watch, this writer certainly thinks so.
As I finish this, I’m on my seventh spin of the EP, and the songs aren’t starting to sound repetitive or annoying, to the contrary, they’re the kind that warrant repeat listens. Having a place on both festival stages and small venues across the country, keep an ear on all things Sex Mask.
Defining Track: ‘Cold’
Release date: November 26th | Label: Unpopular | Producer: Sex Mask
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