For the uninitiated, much like an Exit Mould commercial, this article could change your life (though not necessarily in terms of mould). Tim Fitz, the slightly elusive figure, who always seems to be either performing, recording, mixing or engineering, has just dropped his 5th EP. It’s called Goodhearts, and it’s really, really good(hearts).
My suspicions that a new EP might drop today were first aroused when I saw this post.
And from there, the narrative tension only grew, with my keen detective eye for spontaneous music releases being drawn towards an email from Bandcamp informing me that Mr Fitz had indeed just popped up some new tunes. ‘The game’s afoot!’, I exclaimed, raising a solitary index finger in the air. I may have been in the bath at the time - it doesn’t matter.
While Goodhearts is just as much of a DIY effort as Fitz's 2013 Unscene EP, his songwriting has improved significantly in the 14 months between the two releases. Take Goodhearts, for example, the title track from the new EP; it’s a punchy slice of bedroom pop that bears more than a passing resemblance to Philadelphia Grand Jury, with it’s dry piano, scuzzy guitars and wonderfully witty lyrics. I kind of want to buy sepia-tinted glasses after hearing this track.
Or there’s the re-worked No Rooms Tonight ft. Hannah Joy, a track that originally appeared on a Feral Media Compilation back in February. It’s a brooding piece of suburban melancholy, driven by some gorgeous piano work and dreamy biblical imagery. Gimme Some Love features Valar frontman James Blackwood, and that familiar falsetto propels this off-beat, R&B-esque slow jam into Miguel-level sensuality. There’s also Sour, a track that I’ve written about at length here, it's the unapologetically poppy lead single from the EP, and has received it's fair share of well-deserved radio airplay.
Finally, there’s the closer, Just Pleased To Be There. A delicate organ riff bookends the beginning and end of this track. The composition oscillates between the delicate and quiet to moments that are more intense, more puncturing. It’s a dynamic song that feels like an appropriate way to end Goodhearts, with Fitz asking himself big questions over a contemplative instrumental; Is this thing on? Is it kinetic? Is it a game-changer?
Tim Fitz doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. The spontaneously released Goodhearts showcases some of his strongest songwriting yet, and works to further solidify Fitz as a necessary and important fixture of the Sydney music scene.
<a href="http://timfitz.bandcamp.com/album/goodhearts-ep" data-mce-href="http://timfitz.bandcamp.com/album/goodhearts-ep">GOODHEARTS EP by Tim Fitz</a>
Download the EP in full over at Bandcamp.
Also, while you're at it, give Tim Fitz a like on Facebook.
