SINGLE REVIEW: RACHAEL LIA - TALKBACK RADIO
“Rachael is a First Nations singer/songwriter originally from Ngunnawal Country (Canberra). Rachael relocated to Naarm (Melbourne) to pursue her passion for music by enrolling in a Bachelor Degree at ‘Collarts’ (The Australian College of The Arts) and has spent the past two years being mentored by some of Australia’s most influential musical icons such as; Ella and Jesse Hooper (Killing Heidi), Dallas Frasca and Ainslie Wills.
Rachael’s accolades so far include featuring in a film clip for 'Meg Mac', directed by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore and Michelle Grace Hunder, co-writing a song with 'Benny Walker' and another with 'Mitch Tambo' as a part of APRA's Inaugural First Nations SongHubs songwriting camp, curated by 'Briggs' through ‘Bad Apples Music’.
With heavy influences from artists such as; Stevie Nicks, Shania Twain, Kate Miller-Heidke & more, Rachael’s music is described as country-pop with a very modern outlook and catchy melodies, that get stuck in your head with ease. Rachael recorded her debut single ‘Talkback Radio’ with the remarkable ‘Robin Waters’ (Ella Hooper, Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe) & Olympia) in his home studio ‘Glamour Trowel’ where Robin also produced and mixed the track. The track was then mastered by; ‘Adam Dempsey’ (Angie McMahon, Courtney Barnett & Paul Kelly).”
The single itself opens with nostalgic lines, depicting the ever-familiar scene of sitting in the backseat of a car, the sun coming through the windows and ‘the sound of talkback radio sinkin’ in’ - we’re taken back to pretending we’re in a dramatic music video watching the world go by outside.
‘Country-pop’ is indeed accurate, the track featuring the typical touch of country-classic twanging guitar and tambourine, with modern drumbeats and almost synthesiser-sounding guitar plucking through the bridge, and group backing vocals bumping up the homey family character of the song.
The verses hold the soft pop influence, while the chorus brings you back to Lia’s country inspirations, and Lia’s vocals, while fairly lucid throughout, make for a curiously calming touch to the bittersweet, sentimental air of the tune.
For fans of soft country-pop and simple tunes of homesick sentiments, Lia’s ‘Talkback Radio’ will make you want to jump in a time machine and do it all again, the childhood games and dopey fights, family road trips, back to simpler times.
Produced and mixed by Robin Waters (Ella Hooper, Kav Temperley, & Olympia) the track is a safe, comforting, polaroid-photo-album-with-a-cup-of-tea number, with drops of Kate-Miller-Heidke and even old-school Taylor Swift. Lia also held a single launch for the debut track on Thursday March 12th at the Gasometer in Collingwood, with support from Johnny Costin and Jess Loh. The night was a success with ‘a great turnout and amazing support acts… a really fun night’.
While the individual parts of the song show keen songwriting capabilities, a word of constructive criticism might be to be a tad more daring in her creation. The track is safe not only in its soft, comfortable vibe but also in that it becomes rather provincial, almost idling for the most part after the initial first chorus build up. That being said, it is still a truly solid debut and Lia has shown herself to hold great musical potential going forward. We’d love to see a little more boundary-pushing, but can’t wait to hear more from the First Nations creative.
