The Small Calamities - Moments Of Impact album review

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"Even at an hour long, The Small Calamities only left us wanting more with the equal-parts offbeat and opulent Moments Of Impact..."

The Small Calamities
(Image credit: Supplied)

THE SMALL CALAMITIES
Moments Of Impact
INDEPENDENT

Even at an hour long, The Small Calamities only left us wanting more with the equal-parts offbeat and opulent Moments Of Impact. Not a second is wasted on this unwaveringly bold and kaleidoscopic journey through genre, teetering between simmering midwest emo and a bright, folky twang, with enchanting tinges of Van Morrison-esque diner-pop and scruffy ‘90s-channelling pop-punk. 

Guitars on the record are mostly sweet and summery, lingering with a tasteful touch of crunch – and the interplay between them and a horn section, keys or a whistling fiddle is always effortlessly hypnotic. It’s the buoyant and booming singalongs that we’re drawn to most – “Pavlov” and “Fairy Lights”, in particular – but there truly is something for everyone here.

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…