If the name doesn’t catch your attention, Snakadaktal‘s music should.  This Melbourne indie pop group was the 2011 Triple J Unearthed High Winners (yup, they’re in high school) and followed that up with their self-titled EP which was released on November 25, 2011.  The teenage quintet’s EP offers up six dreamy, subtle tracks laced with soft vocals volleyed back and forth between female/male singers, Phoebe and Sean.  

The most impressive quality about Snakadaktal is their restraint.  The mark of a great group is not in the elements they put into the music, but the elements they are wise enough to hold back.  Snakadaktal does not fall into the trap of bombarding each track with heavy synth sounds or an assault of drums but lets each instrument gently make its mark to set the trippy, hazy mood and support the vocals.

Best Tracks:

Chimera is hypnotic.  The plucked guitar strings fall like drops of water into a puddle while Phoebe’s voice effortlessly glides through the track.

Air has Sean and Phoebe taking turns singing about lost loves over a slow rock groove.  The lyrics speak of emotions that go beyond the high school set but remind us there are no age restrictions for heartbreak.  And the shade may be breaking through your window/Don’t look for the answer it’s the question you don’t know.

When and Where:

How’s this for specific: For the time you find yourself walking down a deserted cobblestone street covered in the remnants of a fleeting rainfall after the night with the one you love ends with the regret of words you wish you could take back.

Chimera

Air

Check them out on Facebook

Buy the EP here

Or download Chimera and Air for free here

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