REVIEW: Fountaineer - Greater City, Greater Love.

Written by: James Johnston

The Bendigo-based three piece Fountaineer have today released their debut record Greater City, Greater Love which is both a stunning ode to small country town, and a fantastic piece of modern Australian rock with sounds echoing other great contemporaries such as The National, City Calm Down, Nick Cave, and even The Ramones.

Opening with the track ‘Sirens’, the listener is quickly introduced to leadman Anthony White’s dark vocals. His pensive lyrics, lamenting on the life within small town Australia are immediately relatable to those from country towns, while also relatable enough to draw those in who aren’t. It’s this kind of brooding flowing through the whole album, as well as the flowing synths, driving drums and swirling guitars, that makes Greater City, Greater Love instantly welcoming. 

Tracks such as ‘Still Life’, ‘The Cricketers’, and ‘Grand Old Flags’ all take inspiration from bands such as The National and City Calm Door, both of which have the incredible ability to pull off spectacular arena shows and intimate band room gigs – something which Fountaineer will no doubt be able to replicate. There’s some range within the album as shown on ‘Some Bright Sparks’, ‘Words with Friends’ and ‘Wide Awake Library’, all of which have a much greater pop sound to them which lend to a much greater danceability than the slower tracks such ‘Lights Beyond the Edge of Town’ and ‘Onomatopoeia’. 

The beauty of this album though is the melancholic lyrics about their hometown Bendigo. The album is clear love letter to small town living in Australia – a thematically concise body of work with clear and distinct inspirations from the post-punk era, but definitively rooted in Australian blue collar rock.

Fountaineer - Greater City, Greater Love.

Out Now: smarturl.it/fountaineerGCGL 

Fountaineer on tour with Gang Of Youths.