Obscura Hail - Siren EP review

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"Rough around the edges in a cute and kitschy way, like a DIY punk bar with plastic butterflies blu-tacked to the walls"

Obscura Hail - Siren
(Image credit: Supplied)

OBSCURA HAIL
Siren
DOT DASH

We kick things off with a dry, crunchy riff that sounds well suited to hardcore – then immediately dive into a particoloured pop gem (“Doomer”) that balances its underlying grit with glittering vocal melodies and a cruisy, cantering beat that gently hints you should tap your toes along. 

The four cuts that follow simmer with a similar balance of coarseness and charm; they’re rough around the edges in a cute and kitschy way, like a DIY punk bar with plastic butterflies blu-tacked to the walls. “Penumbra” stands out the most, its summery haze and nostalgic joviality doling it infinite replay value. 

The lo-fi edge that underlines Siren would likely overstay its welcome on a full-length effort, but here it’s tasteful and gels stunningly well with the buzzy, honeyed sprightliness of Sean Conran and Tamara Issa’s see-sawing vocals.

Ellie Robinson
Ellie Robinson
Editor-at-Large, Australian Guitar Magazine

Ellie Robinson is an Australian writer, editor and dog enthusiast with a keen ear for pop-rock and a keen tongue for actual Pop Rocks. Her bylines include music rag staples like NME, BLUNT, Mixdown and, of course, Australian Guitar (where she also serves as Editor-at-Large), but also less expected fare like TV Soap and Snowboarding Australia. Her go-to guitar is a Fender Player Tele, which, controversially, she only picked up after she'd joined the team at Australian Guitar. Before then, Ellie was a keyboardist – thankfully, the AG crew helped her see the light…