In this series, I look back at some Australian records that I don’t think received the attention they deserved. These releases can be several years old, or from the past few months.
Eliza and the Delusionals have all the makings of a globally recognised pop group on their second album, Make It Feel Like the Garden, one of the most fantastic Australian indie records of the 2020s, an effortlessly joyful outing that is grand in its ambitions and nails basically every song.
It’s hit after hit—well, if you look past the interludes that are sprinkled in-between almost every song. Is seven interludes too many? I don’t think it matters if the finished product flows seamlessly, and Eliza and the Delusionals manage this, because when listened front to back, the interstitials aren’t tiring, they’re just subtle enough to not even be recognised as a separate track, rather as a long intro to what’s next, and I’m a big fan of slow burners.
The Gold Coast trio procure an impeccably produced sound as lush as the cover artwork, and “Falling for You” is a perfect example, a song that takes clear notes from the 1975’s biggest hits and combines Eliza’s expansive vocals with a saxophone that glides through the bridge and shines all through the second-half. It’s a magnificent soundscape, while the singer deals with reluctantly crushing on someone: “I don’t want your loving, I’m not in your love song, But my heart keeps falling, falling in love,” she yearns in the chorus.
“She Sits Up So High” starts with guitar work that sounds like you’re watching the beginning of a late-2010s teen romcom, and is a perfect slice of jangle pop to lift you up. On this, “Will She Know Today” nails an even earlier Y2K aesthetic. Vibrant guitars and angelic harmonies pack most tracks; other standouts include “Another You”, “I Wanna Love You”, and “Somebody”, which features the most joyous saxophone work out of several contenders on this record.
“Lately” took a while to grow on me, because it’s such a departure so deep into the track list. It features Brian Aubert of Silversun Pickups, who provides a much darker verse than Eliza’s with early-2000s emo stylings—this entire song feels more intense than anything else here, with over a minute of anxious guitar work in the outro broken by the two vocalists reluctantly crooning “Waiting, am I wasting my time? Is this life worth living? It’s fucked all the time.” Nevertheless, their harmonies in the chorus shine, making for one of the catchiest moments on the entire album.
It didn’t take many listens for me to solidify Make It Feel Like the Garden as one of the most tragically underrated Australian albums of 2024. If you’re a fan of lovestruck pop rock, jangly guitars, even Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams, give this record a spin.
