Made up of members of
Dick Diver,
Eastlink,
Total Control, School of Radiant Living, and
Mick Harvey's band, the Melbourne, Australia quartet
TERRY already had a headstart on being good just based on their CV. Their debut album, TERRY HQ, takes a giant leap in that direction. With the four members (Al Monfort, Amy Hill, Zephyr Pavey, and Xanthe Waite) sharing songwriting duties and trading off vocal chores, the album is truly a collaborative affair that delves into chiming New Zealand-style pop, clattering indie rock, and gentle, almost austere ballads. It has an easygoing intimacy that is partly down to there being two couples in the band, and partly down to the casual, almost thrown-together nature of the record. It's pretty clear they didn't spend months agonizing over the songs or the sound, and the low-key approach really serves the project well. One can hear elements of all their bands (apart from
Total Control) in the songs, whether they are pounding rockers like "Don't Say Sorry" that fall in the
UV Race category, or quieter, more melancholy songs like "Alfred" that feel like
Dick Diver deep cuts. There are a few tracks that combine the uptempo jitters and sweet harmonies into something that's all their own, like on the super hooky "Chitter Chatter" or the pleasantly loping "Hot Heads." These are the moments where
TERRY sound the best, but the whole album is good and worth checking out not only for fans of the bands the members are in, but for those who like low key indie rock with loads of charm, too. ~ Tim Sendra