A rich, deep vocal that penetrates your soul, Hayley Mary of The Jezabels is a shining beacon of the amazing musical talent Oz has to offer.
Whether she’s emphasising her ocker accent while bantering through a track à la Courtney Barnett, crooning like Kate Bush or hitting notes in the clouds akin to Stevie Nicks, Hayley brings a rawness and a vulnerability to her music.
Synthia, as the name invites is a well-blended dish of the indie rock we love and know from The Jezabels, along with a big spoonful of synth. Adding a delicacy to each track, Heather’s synth is part echoing church chorus and part garden chimes.
A catchy tragedy, the lyrics across the record are rough, honest and a bit of an ‘eff-you’ to the haters. With repetition of chorus lines a common deed throughout, it’s easy to find yourself stuck on a line, or a song – in your head.
‘My Love Is My Disease’ is easily to biggest tune from the album. Grizzly at times, it’s a dark song about the affliction of love, “My love, I have a sickness, Chains me here to my bed, Chains me to the mask of tragedy“.
‘Unnatural’ has a very ’80s girl band vibe with one of the heavier hits of disco synth. With fragmented, elusive lyrics, it’s an emotionally loaded track that could be read into in so many ways.
Hayley invites listeners to interpret her music, her lyrics and her voice – always performing with deep emotion, but your not always sure which.
9/10
Reviewer: Marley Tinnock