Single Review: Flowerbeds

Echo Children are “a band of foreigners formed in the melting pot of Auckland”. With members hailing from Scotland, Sweden, the UK and Canada the group pull influences from Springsteen, Ryan Adams and Fleetwood Mac. Their music is polished and alluring — Echo Children build on the soundscape of each song, obliging you to listen through to the end.

The band has responded to the nationwide lockdown with a positive attitude and good old Kiwi ingenuity. Their latest release has seen them transformed into a pixel art band to perform the single Flowerbeds. The video feels like it has captured the zeitgeist. As millions of New Zealanders are hibernating in their homes a little nostalgic escapism is exactly what we need. The music video for Flowerbeds is charming, well executed, and animated in house by the band.

The song its self begins with a laid back groove. An electric guitar moves around a riff and a tambourine drives the rhythm section. Lead vocalist Oliver Young asks the question “was I a fool to carry you?” and continues from there with lyrics that spark interest through dodging cliches. He describes being heartbroken as feeling his “inner tubes deflate”. Young’s performance perfectly captures the lazy defeat felt in the end of a relationship.

The performance from the rest of the band is just as tasteful and moving. Niamh O’Flynn captures the nonchalance of an individual worn down by lost romance with expertise. Amanda Larsson on the bass drives the song, and Daniel Armstrong’s guitar tone adds to the misty atmosphere.

The chorus introduces those Fleetwood Mac inspired harmonies Echo Children is known for. This moment hints at the haunting beauty that’s waiting for us in the last quarter of the song. Flowerbeds is not only expertly performed and produced, but it’s gripping. The arrangement moves enough to justify its full length. The hook line “final resting place” echoes around in your head before a single strum calls the song complete. Grab some headphones and allow the sound of Echo Children to wash over you, because it’s magic.