Rose Avenue signees Lastlings have done it yet again with another stunning piece of art as the Aussie brother/sister duo deliver their second album. Perfect World showcases both singer/songwriter Amy Dowdle’s thoughtful lyrical choices and emotional inflections along with Joshua Dowdle’s stunning and moving production, fusing together emotion and groove.
‘Holding Me Like Water’ cleverly opens the album, conveying the final moments of a long-term relationship. In this track, breaks cleverly dance around thoughtful soundscapes made up of stabs, pads, and drones, tied together in a beautiful package with thoughtful vocals. ‘Perfect World’ follows as the title track, and the emotion-inducing piano beautifully hooks the listener’s attention. This is one of the album’s tracks where Amy’s vocal inflections really shine, helping to convey the mood and message.
Heading to darker territory, ‘Better Off Without You’ builds a sterner, moodier, and more stubborn feeling. The breaks shine here, not giving you the comfort and normality of a four-on-the-floor house groove. Quick little riffs here and there enhance the feeling of mystery and darkness. ‘Noise’ takes this and adds a bit more color, adventuring from its predecessor’s darker mood into more neutral territory, fueled by sweeping but not overbearing stabs and filtered vocals, complimented with indie basslines that beautifully remind us that this isn’t entirely club music.
‘Out My Head’ slows things down a bit, opting for longer and simpler basslines and pads, but the vocals, groovy drums, and ambient riffs make sure things don’t get boring. ‘Get What You Want’ builds on this with similar instrumentation, but the break-flavored drums really come into focus, especially in the drops. Things keep on rolling in the verses with filtered drums and basslines that complement each other perfectly.
‘Let You In’ proceeds to shift directions with a simple synth riff that is blended with vocal chops, leading to showcase beautiful and thoughtful vocals, to be reunited with the synth riffs of before. This is a bit of a new adventure for Lastlings, but it works so well. ‘Learning To Love’ goes back to their traditional themes, but takes its place as a darker sort of step in the middle of the album, similar to their last album, First Contact. A dark arp acts as the foundation for most of the track, with confident drums varying in intensity throughout the track, which combines pop structure with a moody melodic house.
Blending synth-pop and melodic house, ‘Gravity’ centers around a plucky bassline, that sets the mood of the track, with the break slowing things down for a bit. The music video for this track stands out in particular for its amazing cinematography, choreography, and scenery, standing out as one of the most stunning music videos of 2023.
Speaking of cinematography, Lastlings use ‘Closer’ to create a cinematic, instrumental interlude, similar to First Contact. Joshua Dowdle’s ability to create mind-blowing soundscapes really shines here, without feeling too out of place from the album.
Lastlings get creative with ‘What Good Am I’ in which chopped pads shine, leading into a stunning melodic techno drop, fueled not by four-on-the-floor beats, but breaks, which have been a common and welcome theme on this album. The use of the chopped pads makes it a personal favorite of mine on the album, and everything fits together especially well in this track.
‘Far From Falling’ wraps up First Contact with hopeful feelings and lyrics. The drums on this track make it feel almost as if it were a liquid drum ‘n’ bass track, which is not a bad thing, but rather demonstrates how Lastlings can tackle a range of styles while still keeping true to their signature sound and emotion that have brought them to where they are. Everything here is positive.
Final Thoughts
Lastlings have delivered yet again, and this album is incredibly beautiful. While favoring trending breaks, they haven’t compromised anywhere, with each song still uniquely Lastlings. You can tell that the duo has matured and grown as people and musicians. No complaints here. The songwriting has evolved even more, but this is an area where they have always been strong, and these tracks work together really well.
They will be on tour in North America in the fall and are touring Australia through June/July, and as said before, this is one power duo you don’t want to miss. There will also likely be a remix album, and it will be fun to see what artists give Perfect World the remix treatment. If First Contact‘s remixes are any indication, there should be no shortage of amazing artists on Perfect World‘s lineup. In the meantime, this is one album I won’t be taking off repeat.
