All Through Winter

Artist: Georgia Fair
Label: Sony Music
Website: georgiafair.com.au

Georgia Fair have been releasing a steady stream of EPs and recordings since they first burst onto the local indie-folk scene a few years again so it’s easy to forget that until now we haven’t had a full long player from the Sydney duo until now. All Through Winter hit the stands at the end of October and we can tell you one thing – it’s been well worth the wait.

Kicking off with the sensational, rim-shot driven track “Times Fly”, All Through Winter is a wonderfully produced piece of pop folk. Despite the full band sound on most of the album Jordan Wilson and Benjamin Riley’s vocals are front and centre throughout leaving the listener with a smile on their face and a longing for long summer days. Everything I love about Georgia Fair is present on this album – the beautiful harmonies, the skillful guitar work and the wonderful lyrics that tempt the listener past the wistful melodies and deeper into the lives of these young performers.

So many of my favourite tracks from All Through Winter sit at the front end of the album. “Times Fly”, “Where You Been?” and “Blind” all have these wonderful folk-pop hooks that just draw you in making them really radio friendly (in this reviewers humble opinion). “Blind” in particular has a driving drumbeat and sense of longing to it that deserves several repeat listens. “My New Home” is a particular favourite of mine due to the nostalgic nature of the chorus – there’s something about the melody of this song that reminds me of the folk songs of my youth.

The back half of All Through Winter still contains a number of gems especially the stripped back “Time”. I have a feeling that this song, with its keyboard and vocals, will become a sentimental favourite with fans and I definitely spied a few teary eyes in the audience when I saw Georgia Fair perform it at a recent gig. The 70s-west-coast-esque “As The Sun Fades” is a wonderful way to finish off this remarkable album – in fact the 70s west coast influence (think America, The Eagles, Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young) is all over All Through Winter and I couldn’t be happier about the fact.

Overall All Through Winter is a solid debut from a band that has taken their time to hone their sound before its release. Georgia Fair have a lot to be proud of with this album and judging by the tracks I’ve seem them perform live so far they’re only going to gain more fans the more people who come and listen to them. All Through Winter is not to be missed.

Evan Hughes

For more of Evan Hughes’ music reviews, check out Timber and Steel