Community Radio: Sick in the car / Wildflower (Single, 2014)

Sydney-based Community Radio was formed in 2010 by Cameron Emerson-Elliott (Songs, Youth Group) and also consists of Patrick Matthews (Youth Group, The Jewel and The Falcon), Mal McKernan (La Huva) and Jen Kevin. In 2012 they released their debut album, “Serious Magic”, on their own label Novella Records. It was put down live in Canberra and took just one weekend to record, using small guitar amps, a tiny drum kit (no cymbals) and an unreliable 80s Farfisa organ. Mixed and mastered by Wayne Connolly, it sounded a whole lot larger than the living room it was recorded in. The end result was a stunning collection of simple, finely honed songs that fell on the right side of pop, recalling early REM, The Feelies, The Go-Betweens and The Green Pajamas. For their new single, Community Radio followed the same basic process to the recording, only this time they came out with something a bit weirder and jumpier. Recorded live by the same engineer (Anthony The), and mixed again by Wayne Connolly, the band worked quickly and with a good deal more energy that has stuck to the final songs. Both tracks are built around the love of songs that sits at the heart of Community Radio, with ‘Sick In The Car’ standing up as a triumphant blast of pop thrills and double A Side ‘Wildflower’ dotted with sparkling freestyle guitar play and pulsing on a groove unlike anything off the band’s debut.