Single Review: Rock Dove

Recitals

Review by Kev Rowland // 19 June 2022

Recitals are a 7-piece band based in both Te Whanganui-A-Tara (Wellington) and Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland) and comprise Xanthe Rook (bass, vocals), Tharushi Bowatte (trumpet), Carla Camilleri (keyboards, vocals), Olivia Wilding (cello), Christian Dimick (guitar, vocals), Josh Finegan (drums), and Sam Curtiss (guitar). Even before playing the first single from their debut album Orbit I (released at the end of August on Flying Nun Records) I was intrigued by the line-up as it is unusual to find both a trumpeter and cellist in the same band, and having now listened to the single I am still intrigued, but now it is because I am wondering what the album is like.

Here we have alt-folk combining with Dunedin sound, indie and even atmospheric ethereal as well as a healthy dose of pop to create something which is timeless and could have been released at the end of the Seventies or any time in-between while there is also a very modern touch. It is clean and clear, or clunky and harsh and while the lead male vocals are ahead of the music, the delicious female harmonies are often far more in the background. The song is quite simple in many ways, but the arrangement is complex, and this makes for a fascinating listen, and the change in time signature and approach at 2:30 is both unexpected and perfect. There is a great deal going on within this four-minute number, and if this is a good example of the album then that is something to really look forward to.

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Recitals

About the author Kev Rowland

From 1990 – 2006 I ran Feedback fanzine in the UK, writing about bands that were rarely covered in the mainstream press, many of whom were in the underground scene. I built close ties with many British Progressive groups in particular, including writing the newsletter for Freewill, getting gigs for Credo and writing the introduction to Galahad’s OCMDII compilation. I reviewed literally thousands of cassettes and then CDs from bands from throughout the world, and was lucky enough to interview many of them. During this period I also contributed to the French progzine Acid Dragon, wrote for the music newspaper Rock ‘n’ Reel and was also involved with the Ghostland website. In 2006 I moved to NZ, and stopped running Feedback (which was then renamed Amplified after I left, at my request) having produced over 80 editions with more than 11,000 pages of print and heaven knows how many reviews

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