Rock stars you want your daughters to look up to.
I stumbled across the Buoys by accident when they were supporting one of those rock bands I generally like. One glimpse at lead singer Zoe’s infectious stage presence and the band’s (Courtney, Hilary and Tess) impressive musicianship and I was hooked!
Most up and coming bands look a little out of place on these bigger stages but The Buoys were having the time of their life. Anyway, it’s safe to say I’ve been awaiting Lustre for a while.
Lustre is a mix of the Buoys more traditional rocky sound and some softer, more gentle tracks which truly lift Zoe’s voice. It winds its way through a collection of relatable story telling lyrics, held up by catchy choruses and traditional rock drums.
Zoe isn’t shy about her love of pop music and this really shows in the bands song writing, stepping away a little from typical guitar bands and allowing them to build a sound that’s truly their own. The band opted to record the final version of the album in one sitting and this shows. Whilst there is good variety in the style of songs there is also a remarkably consistent feel throughout. It blends together well enough to feel like all those tracks are supposed to be right where they are.
Highlights of the album for me are ‘Unstuck’, a poetic homage to Zoe’s sister that’s raw and vulnerable, opening track ‘Settle Petal’, a catchy rock tune which shines live, and ‘Guard my Heart’ which, in my opinion, perfectly melds into the sound the Buoys are trying to create.
But honestly though, it’s very hard to pick a favourite in this consistently strong debut album.