Dolphin Friendly - Tunes From The Tuna Can - Review
If you dig Aussie acts like Ocean Alley, Skegss and Bootleg Rascal, you’re sure to find something you love in New Zealand locals, Dolphin Friendly.
review by: Megan Henderson
EP Review
"..takes a super unexpected turn into an uplifting track, that might even transport your mind to a tropical island if you let it."
Their debut 5-track EP, Tunes From the Tuna Can, is our first glimpse of Dolphin Friendly, and it’s sure to resonate well with Australian listeners as it bounces from surf and psych-rock to reggae like a game of musical Ping-Pong. Hailing from Christchurch, the four piece have created the perfect balance of styles and sounds, with the addition of cruisy vocals and impressive instrumentals to ensure they’re ticking all the boxes for what makes a damn good debut!
The five tracks take the listener on a short and sweet journey with minimum stressin’ and maximum relaxin’. Particular highlights include You and Me and Tame It Be(which, when phrased together create a neat little rhyme). As the fourth track on the EP, You and Me initiates a total shift in energy – introducing itself with a stripped back intro before blending psych rock back into the scene, You and Me takes an almost Tash Sultana-esque turn, clocking in at just about 7 and a half minutes in length and featuring a face melting psychedelic guitar solo.
Tame It Be closes the album with an acoustic intro that soon takes a super unexpected turn into an uplifting track, that might even transport your mind to a tropical island if you let it. From here, we’re driven in yet another different direction after the instrumental at around the ¾ mark, where hints of classic rock start to shine through with the vocals. The tone shift in this track genuinely took me aback upon first listen, which instantly opened up a special place in my heart for it. And I don’t like to play favourites but… Tame It Be is really something.
Fresh after finishing their first ever tour in New Zealand, it shouldn’t be too long before Dolphin Friendly hit our shores to give us a taste of what’s in their Tuna Can! And, if I were to make a recommendation for listening to this one, I’d suggest taking it on a coastal road trip, windows down and sunnies on.
Keep up to date with all things ‘Dolphin Friendly’ by hitting their facebook here.
Stream the EP in full below
